For most of her life, Margaux Laskey longed to be the perfect Size 8. That obsession led to a lifetime battle with eating disorders. (Read about Margaux, this week’s Woman Around Town, on our front page). This January, she brought her personal story onto an Off Broadway stage that touched men and women alike. Size Ate: One Woman’s Search for the Perfect Fit, tackles a serious subject, but Margaux’s talent, sensitivity, and humor delivered an entertaining show that delighted audiences and led to a buzz that kept the house packed. Her hope is that she can continue to bring Size Ate’s message to high schools and colleges around the country.

Clever and real are fitting adjectives for Margaux’s journey from counting calories and dress sizes to finding inner peace and acceptance of her own body. She uses the common theme of a Size 8 as her home base and explains what it felt like being a size “sweet sixteen,” “fabulous four,” “tiny two,” and the “nonexistent size 0.”

While the show’s message resonates with the audience, Margaux’s singing, acting and wit make that message not only acceptable but also entertaining. Media images and jingles -Barbie dolls, emaciated models, covers from fashion magazines – are flashed on an overhead screen, illustrating Margaux’s observations.

And she sings! “A Shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch, sensible dinner,” she croons the ever-popular Slim Fast diet slogan. She jumps from singing to dancing with her only cast mates, life-size mannequins named, 0,2,4,6,8,10,12,14 and 16, showing how it felt to be a certain size, yet all the while yearning to be a different size.

Although the play can be hilarious at times and just down right fun, Margaux consistently delivers her ultimate message that we are all have imperfections and well, are not “perfect.” She goes through the phases of her struggle with food and shows the ramifications of severe dieting through song and dance. At one point she ties it up singing, “My nails might be blue, but I am a size two!”

She has crafted a humorous and heartfelt one-woman show. We come to the realization that we allow ourselves to be ruled by the numbers -calories in, calories out, dress size, weight -all in our pursuit of the “perfect” body. Even the “perfect” model bodies are not perfect. Magazine artists make liberal use of airbrushing to create those “perfect” bodies that other women will try in vain to achieve. It’s all an illusion and Margaux brilliantly exposes this conspiracy.

Anyone who has ever had trouble zipping those skinny jeans, will enjoy this brilliant production. Size Ate will make you laugh and touch you as you are led through Margaux’s journey of self-discovery and perhaps begin your own.

Margaux hopes to take the message of Size Ate to high schools and colleges. To donate to make that journey possible, visit her website, www.sizeateshow.blogspot.com