Playwright Neil LaBute has a point to make: we are too obsessed with physical appearance.
And he drives that point home with a fury in his play 鈥淩easons to be Pretty,鈥 鈥檚 current offering in 蜜柚直播.
It focuses on four working class people who struggle to find meaning in their lives and each other.
But that message is more subtle; watching this play it sometimes seems it鈥檚 about how many ways you can denigrate women.
Mark Klugheit directs the production with a smooth hand and an appreciation of LaBute鈥檚 gift for natural dialogue.
His cast doesn鈥檛 disappoint, either.
The play opens with a verbally violent fight between Greg and his girlfriend, Stephanie.
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Samantha Cormier鈥檚 Stephanie is blind in her fury about what she considers a serious insult.
Taylor Rascher as Greg is very confused about her anger 鈥 he only said she had a normal face, after all. Stephanie isn鈥檛 happy with 鈥渘ormal.鈥
Cormier is delicious in the role, cursing and insulting and doing everything but physically attacking. Rascher gives a nuanced performance as Greg, a book-reading, confused young man trying to figure out what he wants in life.
Working at a warehouse with Greg are Kent (Lucas Gonzales) and his wife Carly (Taig茅 Lauren). Kent is, well, creepy. Women are objects to be commented crudely on, cheated on, slept with and thrown aside. Gonzales lept into this character with real gusto. Lauren鈥檚 Carly is beautiful but dismissed by her husband, and she handled the role with grace and with a shade of meekness.
LaBute is often in-your-face with his characters鈥 toxic masculinity, and 鈥淩easons鈥 is no exception. But while this isn鈥檛 a play that is easy to like, this is a good production that is worth seeing.
鈥淩easons to be Pretty鈥 continues through Nov. 19 at the Temple of Music and Art鈥檚 Cabaret Theatre, 330 S. Scott Ave. Tickets are $22-$25 at or 520-907-7209. The play runs about two hours, with one intermission.
