Also this issue: Puh-leeze Don't Squeeze the Artwork! Polly Apfelbaum’s work is a tactile wonderland. -Robin Rice Artsbeat -Debra Auspitz Denyce Graves -David Shengold Eric Schlosser -A.D. Amorosi Hillary Rodham Clinton Living History -Lori Hill "Stuffing Birds, Pressing Plants, Shaping Knowledge: Natural History in North America 1730-1860," -Kristina Weise There's Something About Mary -David Anthony Fox These Mortal Coils Norman Rush details a marriage from the inside out. -Justin Bauer

June 19-25, 2003

artpicks

Hands Across Veronica

Dieting can lead to trauma, but usually not as much as Veronica, the lead character in Gin Hobbs' new play Hands Across Veronica, experiences after she tries to shed a few pounds and ends up confronting her own self-image and her relationship with her friends (not to mention getting involved in a love triangle). Sound like a plotline from a mushy soap? Fear not, Hobbs' play, getting its world premiere from Theater Catalyst's Eternal Spiral Project, is a comedy complete with a chorus of three "Phat Ladies" to guide the show. Hobbs has been working with Theater Catalyst since she relocated here from Oklahoma in 1999, with one of her plays, Clucks and Whirrs, Other Sounds of Love, produced twice by the company, which is dedicated to helping smaller theater groups produce their plays. ESP is an arm of Theater Catalyst focused on theater written by and/or featuring women. Veronica is directed by local actor Deborah Seif, who has done notable work with Philadelphia Shakespeare Festival and The Arden, among others. Diet, exercise and body image may not seem like laughing matters, but Hands Across Veronica (which should at least get credit for having a hilarious title) hopes to bring down the house with a subject that normally brings down a room.

—Debra Auspitz