The tragicomedy The Whale won plenty of awards following its world premier in Denver in 2012. The play, by Samuel D. Hunter, centers around Charlie, who has been steadily eating himself into an early grave since the death of his boyfriend years earlier. Now close to 600 pounds and unwilling to seek medical help, Charlie looks for reconciliation with his long-lost daughter Ellie and understanding from his only friend, Liz.
It's a departure of sorts for A Chick and A Dude, who are known for heavily-male casts, often featuring hitmen or other testosterone-heavy character types. This time out, director Melissa Livingston-Weaver actually has a cast with more women than men, which she admits makes a nice change of pace.
As Charlie, Shannon Weaver heads a cast that also includes Erin Barlow, Jon Cook, Elizabeth Mason, and Kayla Newman.
The Whale Through March 15 Thursday - Saturday at 8:00 pm Special benefit performance Sunday 3/9 at 5:00 pm (All proceeds from this performance go to Jaime Livingston, sister-in-law of the chick & the dude, who is battling breast cancer at the young age of 27.) At Hyde Park Theatre, 511 W. 43rd Street
