In '116 Grams: A Play to Lose Weight', Brazilian performer Letícia Rodrigues delivers a searing satire on body policing, blending absurdist exercise routines with raw emotional depth. The show, part of the São Paulo Showcase at Edinburgh's Zoo Southside, runs until 30 August and has been praised as 'brave, incendiary and full of genuine shocks'.
A Dramatic Weigh-In and a Bold Challenge
The performance opens with Rodrigues stepping onto a scale in front of the audience, announcing her exact weight: 84kg. Dressed in a glamorous red trouser suit with bobbed blond hair and gleaming nails, she evokes the diet clubs her mother first introduced her to at age eight. This autobiographical work, dramatized through the character Gorda, follows Rodrigues's lifelong struggle with being deemed overweight.
Rodrigues sets a bold goal: to lose 116 grams during the hour-long show, framing it as both a performance and a training session. She strips down and launches into a frenetic workout—jogging, dancing, and jumping to Britney Spears, whose pop image she idolized as a girl aspiring to a career in song and dance.
Dark Forces Beneath the Satire
Directed by João Pedro Ribeiro and Rodrigues, the show glints with satire but is underpinned by darker themes: shame, trauma, and rage at a society that discourages girls from loving their bodies. Rodrigues wrote the piece after failed casting calls in Brazil due to her body size. She is explicit in her stance: 'I am not body positive,' she declares, adding, 'I hate living in here'—a sentiment that fuels her explosive physicality, from boxing with a plastic swan to juddering, expressive movement.
The production is performed in Portuguese with English surtitles, adding a layer of linguistic distance that underscores the universality of the message. It resonates with other extreme-sport shows at this year's fringe, but its irony and volcanic energy set it apart.
A Poignant and Powerful Ending
The show culminates in a ballet sequence that is 'poignantly, sadly, beautiful,' serving not as a reclamation of the body but as a commentary on which bodies are deemed acceptable on stage. Rodrigues performs mostly naked, presenting the body that society wants shrunken or erased. The score splices Britney Spears with Swan Lake, moving from narrative to experimental abstraction, which deepens its emotional impact.
As a piece of fringe theatre, '116 Grams' is exactly what the festival should champion: a daring, essential exploration of female body surveillance in an age of relentless media scrutiny. It is hard to watch at times, but its honesty and artistry make it a must-see.
