The play "The Whale", produced by Ricky Pashkus and starring Julio Chávez, has generated controversy before its premiere in Buenos Aires. Former participants of the television program "Cuestión de Peso" expressed their discontent with the choice of title, considering it discriminatory towards people with obesity.
Diego Siracusa, one of the critics of the play, shared: "I found the title discriminatory towards a person." Meanwhile, Cristian Lo Zurdo opined that the name sounded jarring and wrong, suggesting it should be changed.
The homonymous film directed by Darren Aronofsky in 2022 did not succeed at the time, and some are concerned that the theatrical version might follow that path. The former participants of "Cuestión de Peso" insist that the title of the play, which narrates the story of a professor with morbid obesity, is derogatory and should be modified.
Luis Zerda expressed his desire for the play to authentically reflect the reality of people with obesity and show a positive transformation process. "The Whale", written by Samuel D. Hunter in 2012, tells the life of a reclusive obese man seeking to reconnect with his teenage daughter in search of redemption. Critics hope that the controversy surrounding the title does not overshadow the message of the play or harm those who identify with the issues addressed.
