Neil LaBute’s “Fat Pig” is an extremely sharp, very uncomfortable and highly enjoyable play that deals honestly with the issue of standing up to social pressure. It should come as no surprise then that the Southwest premiere of “Fat Pig” is being done by Kitchen Dog Theater.

Kitchen Dog has a nasty habit of performing rough, absorbing material that makes audiences question themselves. This is the same theater that put on “Bug,” “Debbie Does Dallas” (the musical based on the porn of the same name) and “Nickel and Dimed” (yes, based on the book all first-year’s read last year).

Here’s the basic premise of “Fat Pig:” Tom likes Helen. Helen likes Tom. Helen is fat. Under social scrutiny, will that get in the way of potentially epic love?

You might think you know the answer. But as this play eschews the Hollywood notion of ideal beauty, it also does not tie everything up in a neat Hollywood bow.

You might think you know what you would do in Tom’s circumstances. But “Fat Pig,” running though Oct. 21, examines both the “pros” and “cons” of the relationship.

Which would you choose: being true to your self or to social conformity? As anyone who has gone through high school knows, there is no easy answer.

Director Jonathan Taylor emphasizes the stifling nature of societal influence visually. The social prominence smacks you upside the head immediately. The moment you walk into the Black Box theatre you are smothered by huge cutouts of pop art. Props include iconic product placement such as Coke, Starbucks and the magazine Maxim.

Tom and Helen, Ian Leson and Christina Vela have incredible romantic chemistry, playing off of each other so well. Their banter is very sweet and the dialogue sparkles off their tongues. Romantic comedies wish they could generate this much attractiveness between their leads.

SMU alumni Leson is a master at hiding behind smiles and long pauses. It is terrifying how many familiar human qualities Leson can find in Tom. Vela sexily captures her character’s assuredness, vulnerability and most importantly, her character’s beauty. You will fall in love with her.

The funniest character though is Tom’s best friend, Carter, even though he is a sexist, shallow, one-track minded jerk. Or, perhaps that is why we laugh.

As the leading judgmental voice of society, Carter is not an outlandish character. He simply speaks the wisecracks we all silently make. You may claim to disagree with Carter’s truisms, but then why are you laughing with him?

SMU alumna Leah Spillman rounds out the cast as Jeannie, another one of Tom’s co-workers. She has the difficult task of playing the constantly angry woman, but there is recognizable human pain in Spillman’s performance.

This is essentially the case for all of these characters. They may seem unrealistic, but they realistically voice the best and worst of human nature.

The one complaint with Kitchen Dog’s production is its ambiance. In restaurant scenes, it is very jarring when the crowd noise is abruptly cut to make way for dialogue. In a show that dramatizes society’s claustrophobic significance, such an important social element is noticeably absent.

“Fat Pig” is a challenging piece of work, a horribly funny, shrewd take on societal beliefs. Audiences will enter with a conventional view of what constitutes a ‘pig,’ but they will leave wondering who among us is not one.