‘The Whale’ @ Art Centre Theatre
Photography by Dr. Rosalinda Valenzuela
Jan Farrington
I got the email on Friday, and saw the show on Saturday:
“My name is Jimmy Jensen and I am currently playing Charlie in Art Centre Theatre’s production of The Whale. One of the main reasons I did this show was because in other productions of the play, the morbidly obese main character is almost exclusively played by an actor in a fat suit with extra padding. As an overweight man myself, I wanted the opportunity to perform the role without any additional padding to play up the weight, so that's what we've done.
We have not found any other examples of a theater doing the play this way, but we feel it brings an level of authenticity and immersion to the material and the experience of seeing and living it with Charlie.”
Samuel D. Hunter’s award-winning play is never going to be everyone’s cup of tea. But undeniably, the role of Charlie—an online creative writing instructor who can barely move from his sofa—is enough of an actor’s challenge as written. Jimmy Jensen’s sheer guts in adding the personal layer—performing in front of all those eyes, and all that potential judgment—was something I wanted to experience. It was worth it—for me, certainly, and also for him. His performance was engaging, honest, and complex in a very human way.
Jensen offstage moves nimbly; he’s a young redhead-ish big guy with bright blue eyes and a solid handshake. Onstage as Charlie, watching him sit down (or worse, get up) from a couch makes us wince, and wonder if we need to look away for a moment to give Charlie his privacy.
Charlie is smart, he cares about his students, and he’s come to terms (more honorably than we know at the start) with a failed marriage, a troubled fatherhood, and “coming out” in a small Idaho town—so why is he, literally, eating himself to death?
Directors Mizani Washburn and Paul Fried find ways to infuse this one-set, talky play with energy and drama—and, as Washburn told me, make sure the actors pay close attention to the “nuances” of the script. The Whale might look straightforward—but is filled with characters whose stories don’t quite hang together (including Charlie’s). There are clues to follow as we try to understand who these people are and why they find themselves just here, just now. We will never completely unravel their mysteries—but we know more at the end than we do at the beginning…and sometimes, showing how infinitely complicated life is, that’s what a play can do best.
For this unusual script, strong performances are a must—and the cast of five delivers them. Liz (Priscilla Garcia) is Charlie’s only friend. She’s a nurse, and his self-appointed caretaker, keeping track of his vitals, watching TV with him, and (less helpfully) keeping him supplied with the kind of food he craves. Physically, Garcia is tiny against Jensen’s larger frame, buzzing around him with brisk but caring movements. We only gradually discover her complicated connections to Charlie and his tough life.
Elder Thomas (Kevin Marshall Dann)—a young Mormon on a “mission”—comes knocking on the door, asking if Charlie wants to hear about “The Church.” Charlie isn’t interested in conversion—but he does want some info about the specific Mormon church on a nearby highway. Why, we sonder? Where is Elder Thomas’ partner on the mission? Why does he keep coming back to Charlie’s door? Is this earnest kid for real?
Enter Charlie’s almost-grown daughter Ellie (Miki Nakamoto on the night I attended, alternating with Jacy Shoening). She and Charlie haven’t seen each other since she was a small child. Her mother Mary (Claire Kroupa on the night I attended, alternating with Susan O’Brien), who seems surprisingly even-keel and kind, has kept Charlie in the know about Ellie.
Unlike her father, Ellie is a fierce, angry soul with an all-purpose “Hate Blog.” The hate seems free-floating and all-inclusive—and though Ellie can be momentarily charming and funny, we are pretty sure she can’t be trusted. Charlie, for obvious reasons, worries about her, feels guilty as hell, and tries various gambits to draw her closer, from free tutoring to the dangle of inheritance.
Liz says Charlie’s heart is giving out. He doesn’t have health insurance, and he’s terrified of going to a hospital. Liz is his lifeline, and a connection to one of his past life’s most importance times, a memory of love and loss for them both. As he experiences growing pain from his racing heart, Charlie clings to the words of a short essay he has more than one character read to him. At the end of the play, Charlie’s whole soul is in his eyes as the moments speed up to a desperate pace. And he has the short essay read to him again—this time, by someone who might, just might, be changed by it.
Playwright Hunter (A Bright New Boise) looks for truth and humanity in some off-the-path parts of our world. He’s worth a follow.
WHEN: March 21-April 6, 2025
WHERE: 1400 Summit (Suite E), Plano TX
WEB: artcentretheatre.com
