The Weight is Over

By JOYCE MANCINI

     The Weight is Over, Eric Edwards' one-man show, revels in the nature of transformations. Directed by Greg Antonacci and co-written by Edwards and Ken Dubner, this piece tracks an evening with Edwards, formerly a successful, 365-pound comic (Sgt. Bilko, Blade), who shed 210 pounds and is still adjusting to his new body. Edwards' income as the "calorically challenged" self-deprecating comic declined radically when he lost his excess poundage to control his failing health. We meet him after he's moved to the "ghetto" of North Hollywood. He's tossing out his oversized clothes and contemplating a reunion with an unrequited flame.
     Employing video clips and deft characterizations of those who peppered his past, he reenacts his sometimes-abusive-but-caring father, whose death started Edwards on his destructive eating phase, his lesbian mother, and the love interest who precipitated his change into an unemployed 155-pound actor. With an outstanding sense of comic rhythm and imagery, Edwards mutates into his whacked-out, chain-smoking agent, who doesn't want to lose her meal ticket. He morphs into a wildly hilarious rendition of his childhood idol, James Dean, careening around the room and freezing into that famous pin-up pose. His new status as a male contender in the sex pool sets him crowing and strutting as he faces rivals and discovers the disadvantages of being the hit-upon "babe." Weight is always in top form when Edwards displays his masterful physical timing. At times, the play bogs down in repetition; and, except for his diet dictum, "eat less, move more," we are denied the salient details of his weight-loss regimen.
     The play closes with Edwards heading out in an unexpected direction, still shedding masks of his former self. This talented comic's cycles are far from over. Stay tuned for his next resurrection.