Like it or not, we all change when we start seeing someone new.
One theory of dating has it that for a few weeks or months, we pretend to be the person we wish we were, hoping that the person we’re dating will not notice as we slowly revert to our true selves.
But we’ve all seen a friend undergo a dating transformation that left us wondering if we ever knew this person at all.
That is ostensibly the subject of Neil LaBute’s “The Shape of Things,” presented by Hunger Artists and directed by Joan Staniunas. It is the metamorphosis of a schlub named Adam (Brian Landis Folkins) at the hands of Eve — er, Evelyn — an art student who takes an inexplicable interest in him.
** 1/2 RATING | Relationship drama
Art and how we define it figure in from the first. The couple meets at the museum where Adam works — before a statue of God, no less. Evelyn (Stacey Nelms) is there to strike a blow against censorship by spray-painting a penis on the statue, the original of which was covered up with plaster leaves at the behest of nervous townspeople.
It’s a powerful symbol, giving God back his manhood. And at first, it seems like that’s what Evelyn has done for Adam, as well, despite his emasculating inability to stop her on her mission. He’s dating way out of his league here, and he knows it. But with subtle encouragement from Evelyn, he exercises more, loses weight, changes his wardrobe, his hairstyle and more.
Folkins’ transformation as Adam is both fun and excruciating to watch. We all know this guy. He wasn’t comfortable in his own skin to begin with, and watching him alter himself in increasingly dramatic ways only to then seek out Evelyn’s approval is heartbreaking. It’s a role that requires a great deal of subtlety, and Folkins is up to the task.
Evelyn is also a character that requires subtlety, but in a different way. As nakedly transparent as Adam is, Evelyn is layered and complicated. And while Nelms nails Evelyn’s periodic coldness and her passion for art, her apparent connection with Adam never quite fires on all cylinders. That said, Evelyn is one of the more complex characters in modern theater, and Nelms is not far off the mark.
Adam’s friends Phillip (Jack Wefso) and Jenny (Deni-Marie Warren) notice his changes, too. It’s unfortunate that an early four-way conversation that sets up Adam’s conflicted feelings about his old friends and his new relationship with Evelyn is presented so awkwardly. The character of Phillip is supposed to be outgoing and brash, but Wefso plays him so bombastically that against Adam’s necessarily quieter persona, it often seems like there are two conversations going on, neither of which is entirely intelligible. Another quibble: Warren’s ditzy sweetness as Jenny works well early on, but she never quite snaps out of it for more emotionally powerful scenes in the second act.
But despite a few missteps, the sinister undercurrent we’ve felt brewing since the start of the show comes through and builds to its devastating crescendo.
LaBute’s breakout piece was “In the Company of Men,” an infamously misanthropic play and film that plumbs the depths of human cruelty to the point where it is uncomfortable to watch. Suffice it to say that with “The Shape of Things,” the playwright is not finished exploring those themes.
The payoff — no spoilers here; you know something’s coming all along — is a body blow that may leave viewers with a wide range of emotions and thoughts: irritation, anger, paranoia, smugness, cynicism, sadness or despair to name a few.
As Evelyn says, art isn’t a casserole: It should make you feel something one way or another. And this show certainly accomplishes that.
“The Shape of Things” **1/2 (out of four stars)
Presented by Hunger Artists at the John Hand Theater, 7653 E. First Place. Written by Neil LaBute. Directed by Joan Staniunas. Starring Brian Landis Folkins, Stacey Nelms, Deni-Marie Warren and Jack Wefso. 2 hours. Through March 29. 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays. $15-$17. 303-893-5438;
