The cast of KDT’s ‘Shape.’ (Photo by Matt Mrozek)

Kitchen Dog Theater has been on the road this current season. First at a baseball stadium and now at a CrossFit gym. This is all while they wait for their new home, but the company’s creativity of staging in unconventional spaces is becoming quite a thrill. KDT opened the fit-centric comedy Shape by Dallas-based Kara-Lynn Vaeni last Friday at D-Town CrossFit in the Design District.

Amidst the stationary cycles, kettlebells, that slight gym odor and blaring rock music, audience chairs were set up in the middle of the workout space to view the “stage” that included some workout gear to be determined if it was part of the story. Flanked by covered spaces for exits and entrances by the cast of three, the wide open and bright-lit gym space kept a curiosity about how it would actually play out. The result was exciting as the actors utilized a variety of apparatus and filled the space with Vaeni’s fantastic script.

The story centers on Puppy, a 40-something teacher who’s moved away from her New York and her very supportive, easy-going colorful unicorn gym to Dallas. She’s fixated on her fitness for a variety of reasons: her age, mother, sex appeal. Her new trainer James isn’t about that style  and treats her goals with far less emotion and a lot more yelling. Puppy keeps in touch with her New York pal Fern but confronts both her scale and her mother as she works toward a deadlift goal of 250 pounds.

Shyama Nithiananda played the latter roles including Puppy’s scale as well as a fellow teacher and gym buddy at the Dallas gym. With her varied roles, she delivered each with its own specific signature and comedy. While she was knocking out each role with skill, her most notable was as the scale, but also, perhaps with the most stage time. She brought a cheeky appeal to the role that both chided and lifted up Puppy’s weight challenge. Her shift into Puppy’s mother was sweet with the right touch of matriarchal interference and support.

Also in multiple roles, Ian Ferguson ran the gamut from the vibrant gym trainer at Puppy’s first gym to her misguided father and fellow faculty. But as James, the manically intent trainer, Ferguson somehow made sadistic gym torture fun and funny. He’s almost too good in this role that made him scary. With just-right tweaks and cadence, he’d clean and jerk lines in such a serious tone that almost doubled their comedic effect. In short, Ferguson was marvelous in a role that just helps prove his versatility across North Texas stages.

Respectfully to Nithiananda and Ferguson, Shape belonged to Cara Statham Serber. With no intermission, each actor kept up their ends of the deal, but Serber’s on 100 percent of the show and she carried the weight of the show like a strongman farmer’s walk. The remarkable part of her performance was twofold. First, her characterization of Puppy’s optimism, insecurities, frustrations were all so effortless and sharp. Then she had to quite literally workout in front of the audience with some impressive planks and band exercises. Serber was clearly in shape for the role, but don’t hate her for never breaking a sweat after all that. In reality, she’s probably a trainer’s dream client unlike Puppy. As Puppy, Serber created an unlikely heroine that anyone could relate to by reframing her own story into a self-realized, positive one.

Costumes were mostly fitness gear, but the unicorn workout costumes by Tina Parker were a total delight serving rainbow explosion. As playwright and director, Vaeni nurtured the show more than anything. The characters were all fleshed out and the show had an ease that breathed nicely. The comedy was brilliant in all its grades from subtle to silly. Under her direction, Kitchen Dog Theater delivered a major flex with Shape.

The show runs through Feb. 25.

–Rich Lopez