Contraband Theatre’s current offering is the premiere of “Glut,” an intriguing new play by e.k. doolin.
It opens with a meeting between a young couple and their wedding planner. Steve Carol and Sarah Treely disagree about where to have the ceremony. Steve favors a movie theater. Sarah prefers Blessed Lamb of God, the church that was a refuge for her when she was growing up.
The wedding planner suggests choosing a theater that is now an event venue because she has heard Blessed Lamb of God will not perform a wedding for a “practicing glutton,” a term Sarah does not understand. “Stab in the dark here,” Steve chimes in, “but I’m guessing that means you can’t be fat?”
Sarah is incredulous, but the next few scenes raise Sarah and Steve’s awareness of troubling changes in their society they hadn’t noticed before. Bias against the obese is on the rise.
Through Steve’s brother Cab and Cab’s husband Miles, “Glut” connects its speculative discrimination against the overweight with actual discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community. Prejudice based on weight is an excellent symbol for prejudice based on sexuality because gluttony and homosexuality are both considered sins by some religious groups.
When Sarah goes back to Blessed Lamb of God, she receives an overwhelmingly enthusiastic welcome from Reverend Jody, the youth minister who helped Sarah when she was young. A follow-up visit reveals the darker side of the church’s embrace. This experience leads to personal growth for Sarah, but subsequent scenes leave no doubt that accepting oneself does not the end the problem of bigotry.
The Contraband production features fine leading performances by Ronmal Mattley as Steve, Reagan Posey as Sarah, and Joshua Mayfield as Cab. Kelly Howe and Brian McKinley demonstrate impressive versatility in supporting roles that require serious and broadly comic acting.
In Rachel Bailey’s portrayal, Reverend Jody is the epitome of smarminess in her first meeting with Sarah. This interpretation is executed with panache, but I don’t think Sarah would not have found the haven she remembers from her youth in this Reverend Judy’s oppressive friendliness.
I’m puzzled by playwright doolin’s decision to make Reverend Jody a glutton. “Your sin is my sin too,” she tells Sarah. “Which is why I am uniquely called to help you through this time.” Why would a denomination that will not perform marriages for gluttons allow a glutton to perform a marriage? If hypocrisy is supposed to be the issue here, it should be dealt with more explicitly.
The program has an entry I have never seen before—Joanna Followell is credited with designing the lobby, where theatergoers are welcomed as if they were attending a wedding.
Despite this immersive beginning, Erik Kuhn’s scenic design does not initially treat The Chapel on Alexander as if it were still a chapel. The performance area runs down the theater’s center between facing banks of seats. Taijha Silas’s direction effectively uses this space’s flexibility in the scenes leading up to the wedding.
The production becomes immersive again just before the intermission, when Steve and Sarah’s wedding planner shoos the audience toward the lobby for a reception. The doors to the theater are locked after everyone has left. When the audience returns, the theater has been readied for a wedding. Two banks of seats with an aisle between them are facing the elevated stage.
The creative team’s fine work includes Elena Jaquez’s costumes, Tre’von Griffith’s sound, and Theresa Comstock’s lighting.
“Glut” continues through October 24 at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive.
—Gerry Kowarsky, 2026
Photo by Katie Orr
From the left, Reagan Posey as Sarah and Rachel Bailey as Reverend Jody in “Glut.”
