The Whale Is a Bittersweet Story of Loneliness, Longing and Regret

On the surface, Samuel D. Hunter’s The Whale can be interpreted as an indictment of excess and selfishness. Dive in a little deeper, however, and you will find a poignant examination of love, death, loss and despair that’s deeply personal and affecting. In St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s finely wrought production, director Annamaria Pileggi and a talented cast mine those depths, finding connection in loneliness and compassion in sorrow.

After abandoning his relationship with his wife and young child and losing his lover, Charlie has become isolated and obese, eating his way to an early death. He teaches English composition remotely, with his camera off so his students can’t see him, and his only visitor is his friend Liz, a health care professional and sister to Charlie’s deceased lover. She both indulges his voracious appetite for junk food and provides the best care she can since Charlie refuses to go to the hospital. After a teenage Mormon with troubles of his own helps him survive a potentially fatal episode, Charlie reaches out to his daughter and bribes her to visit. He also invites the young missionary to come back to talk at another time. Eventually, as Charlie attempts to get his life in some sort of order before he dies, his daughter’s mother joins the mix.

William Roth turns in one of his best performances as Charlie, convincingly conveying the character’s difficulties moving and breathing while also showing the deep emotional scars and lingering pain that contribute to his current condition. Roth deftly captures a heaviness that has nothing to do with Charlie’s weight but that's perhaps keeping him from moving forward or making changes that may extend his life.

Colleen Backer is heartbreaking as his friend and caregiver Liz, channeling her own loss into Charlie’s care then collapsing in inconsolable grief when she realizes she’s likely going to lose him. Lizi Watt is neurotic yet supportive as Charlie’s alcoholic ex-wife, a women desperately trying to hang on even as she feels her grip slipping. Nadja Kapetanovich and Thomas Patrick Riley as Charlie’s angry daughter Ellie and the proselytizing Elder Thomas elicit genuine sympathy and pathos through their portrayals. Flawed characters searching for a reason to change their ways, the bond the three form provides slivers of hope while allowing Charlie the chance to reveal the wells of concern and empathy that may be all that keep him alive.

The whale referenced in the title is not simply Charlie’s corpulent physique, but also a clever and effective incorporation of literature and the Bible in ways that are symbolic and relevant to Charlie. Though this is not a happy story, these allusions contribute to a unique sense of acceptance and reassurance that envelops the play. In this way, The Whale elicits a surprising tenderness that avoids despair, choosing instead to embrace dignity and human kindness among characters one might avoid if given the chance. Smart stagecraft, particularly Kristi Gunther’s omnipresent sound and Patrick Huber’s subtle lighting, and insightful guidance by director Pileggi reveal a nuanced complexity to the characters and message. Filled with surprising depth and unexpected, at times poorly conveyed grace, The Whale is a satisfying, quietly comforting story that mature audiences will likely enjoy, even if it elicits a tear or two in sympathy.

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