#FATKARY: The Corrido of a Tragic Ex-Fat Woman at Voila! Theatre Festival Review
If you’ve ever felt like your body was a battleground, Caridad Gómez has a corrido for you. Her one-woman show, #FATKARY: The Corrido of a Tragic Ex-Fat Woman, landed The Playground Theatre tonight as part of London’s Voila! Theatre Festival.
I hadn’t heard the term corrido before, and learned it refers to a traditional Mexican narrative ballad — a form rooted in resistance, survival, and social commentary. Gómez uses this tradition to frame her award-winning solo performance, which explores what it means to live as a morbidly obese woman on the border between Mexico and the US.
Gómez shares fragments of her life: her relationships with parents, partner, and child, and even the shadow of a murder that shaped her. A “spin the wheel” game, complete with audience countdown, determines which story she tells next.
There’s laughter when she commandeers a remote-controlled car, and poignancy when she eats corn chips while emotionally unraveling. A video sequence — Spanish audio with English subtitles — illustrates her family ties, particularly with her father. At times, Gómez signals that no translation exists, leaving non-Spanish speakers momentarily outside the experience.
The piece tackles body image, shame, identity, and belonging. Gómez enters in a head-to-toe floral prosthetic body suit, later removing it to reveal a moment of self-acceptance. Folk music, rap, dance, cabaret, and even a short live piano performance weave through the show, creating a collage of styles that mirrors the varied influences shaping our lives.
Being overweight by BMI standards, I connected with her exploration of how food and exercise choices reflect emotional states — comfort eating in moments of loneliness, stress, or sadness for example. She also highlights how different stages of life, such as motherhood and caring roles, shape these patterns.
The set is simple: a swivel chair, a table draped with a musical-note cloth, and props ranging from a cowboy hat to bowls of food. At 60 minutes with no interval, the show is compact.
Audience members are asked to reflect on shared experiences — blurring the line between performer and spectator. There’s a little food treat for audience members- best to leave until after the show.
“Where my monstrosity can finally fit,” Gómez declares, “and where I can simply be.” It’s a statement that encapsulates the show’s themes well.
Already decorated with Best Actress at the XLI Mtro. Rafael Solana Theater Contest and a trail of festival appearances across Mexico and Texas, #FATKARY is at The Playground Theatre on 14 and 15 November.
These London dates form part of the Voila! Theatre Festival 2025, a multilingual programme featuring theatre across languages and cultures across venues.
Date: November 15th at 8:30pm.
Address: The Playground Theatre, 8 Latimer Road, London, W10 6RQ
Website: https://www.voilafestival.co.uk
