How Much Does Love Weigh?

“¿Cuánto pesa el amor? (How much does love weigh?).” This was the tagline to Gorda (Fat Pig), one of the many shows that play on Avenida Corrientes, the Argentine version of Broadway. This show did a fantastic job of presenting society’s preoccupation with weight. Buenos Aires is a rather anorexic city: many of its residents—especially women—obsess with their figures and eating. The preoccupation with weight in BA isn’t unlike that in the U.S., but the difference is that here there are very few overweight people. The purpose of writing about this play is to describe a scene that made seeing it completely worthwhile. Imagine yourself in the audience as you watch the plus-sized female protagonist lying on her stomach on a bed, wearing nothing but her bra and panties. Suddenly, the male protagonist—her in-shape boyfriend dressed in boxers—launches himself onto her, smooches every part of her ample stomach, and picks up her leg and starts kissing it. She then rolls over and practically squashes him under her weight as they play-wrestle on the bed. Throughout the whole scene, they are giggling and lovingly caressing each other. This was the first scene of its kind that I have seen. I won’t comment any more on it, but I think it is worthwhile to share.

Other plays I’ve seen so far, most of which are more than worth the little money you spend on a ticket, include Marat Sade, La Pipa de la Paz, and El Fantasma de la Opera. If you haven’t yet seen The Phantom of the Opera in a theater before, I highly recommend that you add it to your list of things to see before you die. I went for US$20, and it was incredible. Everything had been translated to Spanish—even the lyrics to the songs!