Reasons To Be Pretty is the third in a trilogy of plays Neil LaBute has written about obsession with physical appearance. The first was The Shape of Things to Come in which an art student vandalised her boy friend and literally made an exhibition of him. The second was Fat Pig in which a young man ditched his girl friend because he couldn’t cope with the constant jibes by his mates about her obesity. Audiences, who have seen these two plays and are familiar with LaBute’s other works, such as the chillingly cruel In the Company of Men, will presume, that he is going to be as nasty; but, surprise, he is in a gentler mood.
A warehouse worker makes a remark about his girl friend being no beauty and it is reported back to her. Over-reacting, she instantly breaks off their relationship. Tom Burke is good casting as the decent, surprisingly well-read guy with a nice line in dry wit; full of boyish charm and obviously in love, he doesn’t know what has hit him. Meanwhile, his best friend, whose wife is pregnant, is having an affair and he expects him to lie on his behalf and give him an alibi. Sian Brooke, even though she is far too pretty, is very good as the girl friend and she has a typical LaButean scene when she lists in great detail all his physical faults at the top of her voice. Billie Piper, as an unhappy pregnant security guard, has a touching scene when she is seeking confirmation of her husband’s infidelity. Kieran Bew is obnoxious macho jerk incarnate.