NEIL LaBute continues to explore our obses sion with physical appearance and the way it wreaks havoc with personal relationships in “reasons to be pretty,” the comic drama that opened last night.
But unlike the provocative plays that preceded it – “Fat Pig,” “The Shape of Things” – this one cuts thrillingly deep.
Its events are set in motion by the unfortunate comment a blue-collar worker named Greg (Thomas Sadoski) apparently made about a fellow employee’s pretty face, and the lack thereof of his longtime girlfriend, Steph (Alison Pill).
The opening scene, in which Steph reacts in violently profane fashion, is the most volatile in an evening filled with discord between friends and lovers.
Greg and Steph’s fractured relationship is obliquely mirrored by his co-worker Kent (Pablo Schreiber) and his security guard wife, Carly (Piper Perabo). Although this couple, who clearly have no problems in the good-looks department, seem to have the perfect relationship, it’s soon revealed that the loutish Kent is cheating on his pregnant wife every chance he gets.
The play, which at 2½ hours runs longer than usual for LaBute, showcases his gift for pungent dialogue. Best of all is a brutally hilarious scene in which Steph turns the tables on her ex by listing, in a 10-minute diatribe, his physical flaws in clinically detailed fashion (“Your mouth is wide and your lips are way too thin to be sexy, and I hate kissing you,” “Your nostrils make me sick”).
But while many figures in previous plays seemed philosophy-spouting ciphers, the characters here are all terrifically complex, especially the man-boy Kent, who, despite his good heart and intellectual bent, is clueless.
Under the superb direction of Terry Kinney, the ensemble delivers pitch-perfect performances. While the evening has its flaws – principally the monologues in which the characters unnecessarily explain themselves – “reasons to be pretty” is as thought-provoking as it is entertaining.
REASONS TO BE PRETTY
Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher St.; (212) 279- 4200. Through July 5.