Review: The Whale

Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale opens California Stage’s 26th season. Directed by Shawn O’Neal, it tells the story of Charlie, a 600-pound gay man who sits in his apartment, which is strewn with wrappers from candy bars, bags of chips, pastry wrappers and other boxes of junk food. He is slowly eating himself to death following the death of his partner Alan.

Joel Mario Rickert gives an outstanding performance as Charlie, who spends his days teaching writing classes on the internet (using no webcam because he doesn’t want his students to see him).

Elder Thomas, a Mormon missionary, meets Charlie and is drawn into his life. Thomas, desperate to find a purpose to his own life, has a message to impart and Charlie is eager to hear it, though not for the reasons Thomas thinks. Thomas is also hiding his own secrets.

Charlie’s 16-year-old daughter Ellie, whom he has not seen in 14 years since he left her mother for Alan, arrives. She is curious about her father, whom she finds disgusting, though somehow interesting. He wants to mend fences before he dies. His only friend is Liz, a nurse who visits Charlie every day and keeps him as well as possible, since he refuses to go to a hospital.

The Whale, which is sometimes funny, but mostly not, tackles many subjects: writing and Charlie’s need to teach his students to write well; gluttony; parenting; self-loathing; grief; and the depths of love. It is a remarkably eloquent example of a man who knows his time is short and feels the need for absolute honesty.