Excess pounds may be no laughing matter, but playwright Molly Wagner finds equal parts comedy and drama in a 20something’s efforts to shed them in The Calorie Counters, a crowd-pleasing Loft Ensemble World Premiere.

Not that being overweight is something Maggie (Madylin Sweeten) spends much time worrying about, that is until her slightly older, considerably slimmer, recently engaged sister Jordan (Natasha Renae Potts) informs her that the dresses she’s selected for her bridesmaids come in no larger than size twelve.

And so, with some enthusiastic encouragement from Charlie (Carlos Gomez, Jr.), an equally amply built young man she meets outside Calorie Counters (think Weight Watchers or Jenny Craig), Maggie decides to bite the bullet and see if she can somehow fit into a twelve by the time Jordan walks down the aisle.

Adding to Maggie’s self-esteem issues is the fact that Jordan used to weigh as much as her younger sister, and more irksome still, has managed not to gain back those pounds, which might just be one of the reasons a Tinder date with studly Nick (Matt Lorenzo) has led to a marriage proposal, while Maggie’s adorably goofy neighbor Alex (Tor Brown) remains about as platonic a buddy as platonic buddies get.

Though a 2020 article in the Washington Post reported that “about 74 percent of adults in the United States are overweight,” I can’t think of another play that’s revolved around this hot-button issue, and whether you consider obesity a national health crisis or a case of unwarranted “fatphobia,” playwright Wagner deserves major snaps for not just addressing it in The Calorie Counters, but for doing so with humor and nuance and understanding, while making us care about the characters she’s created.

On a less positive note, The Calorie Counter’s whopping seventeen scenes means just as many blackouts to slow its pace, and Sweeten’s otherwise stylish scenic design requires a major set piece to be reconfigured for each new scene, adding to the wait time. (It doesn’t help the play’s flow when an audience feels the need to applaud after each and every scene, or that an unneeded intermission seems to have been inserted at the halfway point without any regard for an intermission’s raison d’ être.)

Director Danielle Ozymandias deserves snaps for eliciting some terrific performances, in particular those delivered by Sweeten and Potts as siblings who’ve dealt with their weight in two vastly different ways.

Sweeten, who America saw grow up in front of their eyes on Everybody Loves Raymond, does fearless, powerhouse work as a young woman whose sense of self-worth could use a boost, though not necessarily the kind that fitting into a size twelve might provide, and her scenes opposite the equally splendid Potts (who digs deep into a pretty girl’s own insecurities) crackle with a mix of long-standing sibling rivalry and love.

Gomez makes for a sweet, genuine Charlie and Lorenzo does his best with an underwritten role (Nick seems to exist mostly as a catalyst for unearthing the sisters’ past and present resentments), but Brown is nothing short of sensational as the shaggy-haired, charismatic force of nature next door.

Brown’s lighting design, Travyz Santos Gatz’s sound design, Potts’ properties, and Sarah Nilsen and Bree Pavey’s projections are all first-rate.

The Calorie Counters is produced by Pavey. Sweeten is executive producer and Marc Leclerc is associate producer. Nilsen is assistant director, Brown is technical director, and Jennifer Brofer is production manager. Celina Surniak is intimacy coordinator.

Matthew Tucker understudies the role of Charlie. Sydney Jenkins is stage manager. Ken Werther is publicist.

Though The Calorie Counters would work better with fewer, swifter scene changes and a 90-minute no-intermission format, Wagner’s engaging dramedy is nothing if not a conversation starter. Expect to be debating the issues it raises on the ride home.

Loft Ensemble, 11031 Camarillo St., North Hollywood.
www.loftensemble.org

COVID PROTOCOLS: Everyone must present proof of full vaccination against COVID-19. Face masks are required to be worn indoors at all times.

–Steven Stanley
October 22, 2021

Tags: Loft Ensemble, Los Angeles Theater Review, Molly Wagner