MANSFIELD — Chasing a 300-pound pig through a burning house sounds like pure farce.
But the creative team behind the Mansfield Playhouse’s production of “The Controversial Rescue of Fatty the Pig” promises the onstage chaos carries a surprisingly tender human core.
The production opens Friday night on the theater’s intimate Second Stage under the direction of Drew Anderson, who also performs as part of the five-member ensemble cast.
While Anderson previously directed his own wedding show at the Playhouse in July, the project marks his first major venture into the director’s chair at the 95 E. Third St. community theater.
Fatty in a nutshell:
Chaos erupts in eastern Kentucky when Cherry Blevins’ house burns down — the second home she has lost in five years. Amid the inferno, Cherry’s brother, Floyd, and his devout wife, Connie, attempt to rescue Cherry’s 300-pound pet pig, Fatty. The chaotic scene quickly escalates when local lawman, Deputy Dwight Omuhundro, arrests Floyd and Connie for assault.
Appearing before a weary circuit court judge, each participant recounts a wildly conflicting version of the night’s events.
As testimonies unravel, the narrative exposes the bizarre catalyst behind the fire; Cherry’s unconventional culinary ambitions with her porcine companion; and the unfulfilled dreams burdening each small-town resident.
Through their testimonies, the characters confront lingering resentments and past disappointments, discovering that their misbegotten crusade to rescue Fatty might ultimately provide the emotional redemption they desperately need to salvage their own lives.
“The success of that show led (Playhouse Artistic Director) Doug Wertz to ask if I’d like to direct another show. Of course I said yes,” Anderson said.
Playwright Catherine Bush’s script balances physical comedy with raw domestic crises.
To bring that tension to life, Anderson utilizes the black box space’s minimal staging and technical elements to shift tone rapidly between slapstick and heartbreak.
“Thankfully the playwright, Catherine Bush, provided a good balance of humor and vulnerability in the script,” Anderson said.
“The production side allowed me to focus the audience in on key scenes that showed the struggles of these characters while illuminating the ‘whacky side’ of those very same characters later with dramatic light shifts,” he said.
While the script traditionally leaves Fatty the pig entirely offstage, Anderson decided to break from convention.
“I made the decision to show the pig, so we do actually see Fatty. What, or shall I say, WHO he is will be a fun surprise for the audience,” Anderson said.
The production’s rehearsal period was not without steep obstacles. Anderson originally cast two real-life couples to play the show’s central pairs, including Gregg and Liana Ashbrook, alongside veteran performers Johnna and Eric Gustafson.
When the Gustafsons had to withdraw due to tragic circumstances, Anderson stepped into the vacant male role and recruited Leanna Uselton less than two weeks before opening night.
“There’s a popular phrase you hear a lot in theater, ‘The Show Must Go On.’ That has certainly rang true, mishaps happen, people get sick, at the end of the day it is my responsibility to make sure the show goes on,” Anderson said.
“We’ve had quite a few hurdles in this production but I am confident in my team to put on one hell of a show when it’s all said and done,” he said.
Anderson said his prior experience sharing the stage with Uselton in last year’s production of “Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors” made the rapid transition possible.
(Below are photos taken by Tiffini Anderson during a dress rehearsal of “The Controversial Rescue of Fatty the Pig” on the Second Stage at the Mansfield Playhouse.)
“Thankfully, not only was I able to fill roles last minute, but it was also with someone I had established acting chemistry with. She’s great,” Anderson said.
Uselton, a 25-year-old northeast Ohio native who began acting at age 8, had to speed-run the script to prepare for her role as Cherry.
“I was asked to step into the production about a little less than two weeks from opening, and I did not know anything about the show beforehand,” Uselton said.
“I find the characters interesting and dynamic and am grateful to have gotten to join this production. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to live in this world even for such a short time.”
Balancing Cherry’s upbeat demeanor with internal sorrow proved to be Uselton’s central creative hurdle.
“I think the most challenging part has been having to speed run the learning process and character analysis joining the production so late. However, it’s also rewarding to know that under pressure I can do something like this,” Uselton said.
“Cherry is fun and energetic, but she’s also very lonely deep down I think. It is challenging to return to that comedy portion after those serious moments, but I find it helps to remember to just stay true to the character and how she deals with pain is to push through.”
Sharing the stage is veteran actor Gregg Ashbrook II, 42, a familiar presence at the Playhouse who recently completed his seventh summer performing in the outdoor drama “Trumpet in the Land.”
Ashbrook joined the cast to help launch Anderson’s directorial debut.
“I did this show in order to support a good friend,” Ashbrook said. “I am so excited for Drew to get to direct his first show and show off his creativity.”
Portraying Floyd, an abrasive personality grappling with hardship, presented Ashbrook with the task of keeping an abrasive figure accessible to viewers.
“Floyd is a tough character to portray. He doesn’t say the most charming of words,” Ashbrook said.
“Trying to keep him as a semi-likeable character while he says some pretty shocking things and doesn’t have a lot of redeeming characteristics. He’s a symbol of life and trauma. It’s complicated. We either find the humor in it, or we let it consume us. Floyd’s boisterous personality keeps finding surprises at every level.”
Because the Second Stage layout keeps every performer in clear view throughout the performance, Anderson said the audience will feel right in the room with the family’s unraveling dynamic.
“I love black box theaters, you can get away with minimal set dressing. It encourages the audience to use their imagination a little more then with a regular show.
“In this show in particular, the actors never leave the stage. With the lighting cues directing more the audience’s eye, the casts’ blocking really helps shape the show in a way that draws the audience in,” Anderson said.
For the cast and crew, the production represents not only an evening of laughs, but a reflection on human resilience and community support.
“I hope the audience can have a few laughs with us and recognize the importance of forgiveness,” Ashbrook said. “We’re all human and can grow a lot from gaining a little bit of understanding and forgiveness.”
Uselton echoed that hope for theatergoers.
“I hope they takeaway not only some good laughs but the deeper meaning of the play as well,” Uselton said. “The playwright examines the theme of truth and second chances, something I think anyone can relate to.”
For Anderson, the biggest takeaway centers on the venue and the people who fill its seats.
“I hope people leave with a better sense of why community theater is so important,” Anderson said.
“I hope they tell their friends to come see this show and all the other ones coming up this year, because without an audience we cannot do what we love. They are the heart and soul of the theater, and without them we cannot continue to thrive.”
The cast of “The Controversial Rescue Of Fatty The Pig”
Floyd Blevins: Gregory Ashbrook
Dwight Omuhundro: Drew Anderson
Connie Blevins: Liana Ashbrook
Cherry Blevins: Leanna Uselton
The Judge: David Kitzler
The show stages Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Nov. 20-21 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and $10 for students (18 and under).
Tickets are available online at www.mansfieldplayhouse.com or by calling the box office at 419-522-2883. The box office is open Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and one hour prior to all performances.
