Playwright Neil LaBute is not known for his optimistic depictions of human nature. His 2008 work, Reasons to Be Pretty, however, embodies a surprisingly hopeful vision even as it retains the author’s caustic wit and trademarked misanthropy. Now that the play’s regional premiere, directed by Kimberly Mohne Hill and featuring a stellar cast, is running at the San Jose Stage Company, South Bay audiences can decide for themselves whether or not Mr. LaBute is (as The New York Times put it) “making nice.”
The flawed hero of this comedy-drama is Greg (Robert Brewer), a guy who inadvertently hurts his girlfriend Steph (Halsey Varady) by saying that her face looks “regular.” To Greg, this seems like a harmless comment, but it infuriates Steph to the point of breaking up with him. Greg’s relationship with his buddy Kent (Will Springhorn Jr.) also becomes strained as the story unfolds. Kent is having an affair with a co-worker while his wife, Carly (Allison F. Finch), is pregnant, and Greg feels guilty about helping to cover it up.
•The obsession with physical appearance is a central theme in this play, as it has been in some of LaBute’s previous works. The Shape of Things, in which a girl manipulates her boyfriend into getting plastic surgery, and Fat Pig, about a man who is embarrassed to be dating an overweight woman, both delve into the pernicious effect this obsession has on society and relationships.
Reasons to be pretty has been described, fittingly, as the final part in this trilogy. Even so, it also represents a divergence from those other plays. The characters often treat each other in a cruel or callous way, but unlike The Shape of Things or Fat Pig, Reasons shows people who seem able to learn from their mistakes and become better people.
Seeing those characters brought to life at the Stage is a real treat. The scenes featuring Brewer and Varaday as the troubled couple are intense and emotionally charged. The scenes between the two male actors are even more riveting, and Springhorn’s performance as the macho, arrogant Kent is perhaps the highlight of the evening. During Saturday night’s performance, the actors occasionally stumbled over their lines, but it hardly detracted from the overall excellence of the show.
• Reasons to Be Pretty
• Through Oct. 24
• The Stage, 490 S. First St., San Jose
• $20–$40
Sports Roundup: Oct. 6 
The Fantasticks 
Greg
Oct 6, 2010 -
LaBute’s gift for creating dialogue with pitch-perfect realism and authenticity puts Mamet to shame. Conversations are composed with a deceptively mundane naturalism that could cause one to overlook the keen observations being made.
The total impact of what is really being said is largely dependent upon the ability of the actor to deliver the full resonance of the words. That being said, not all of the cast members are up to the task.
Stephanie, who’s introduced spewing a flood of profane invective, must possess a complexity and vulnerability to engender any sympathy, let alone empathy. Despite her best efforts, Ms. Verady never quite succeeds in playing the right note.
The remaining three players are more successfully portrayed, particularly by Robert Brewer, who brings a depth to Greg, the central character, who at first glance could easily be mistaken as ordinary.
Will Springhorn Jr., as Greg’s friend Kent, provides the requisite testosterone filled charisma as a philandering jock, but his macho bravado would benefit from just a bit less intensity.
Allison F. Rich, on the other hand, shines as Kent’s wife as she deftly traverses a challenging range of emotions with a wonderfully magnetic subtlety. She’s quite good.
Notwithstanding the uneven performances, this provocative play manages to be both acerbic and sentimental. I wholeheartedly endorse spending two hours of your time supporting local theatre at its best!