One woman’s heartbreaking and hilarious journey to acquire a tiny little baby, by any means necessary.

Too Fat for China

A Comic Look at the Agony of Adoption
Written, drawn and performed by Phoebe Potts

TOO FAT FOR CHINA follows Phoebe Potts, comic storyteller and professional Jew, as she tries, fails and eventually succeeds to adopt a baby. After a US adoption goes horribly wrong, Potts finds herself surprised, disgusted and ultimately resigned to the role she plays as a middle class white lady in the business of adopting babies in the US and internationally. Potts’ tragicomic journey is about looking for more love, more life and more family and will do anything to get it, including having her morals and values fold in on themselves.

“Potts' presence grips the viewer so firmly that it is impossible to look away... she is capital H Hilarious”
-Megan Kempton, DC Theater Arts

Potts comes to the stage armed with a larger than life hand cranked scroll of her own comic strips featuring the newsreel in her head. After a wave of sold out performances at Gloucester Stage Company and Greater Boston, Phoebe made her way to Edinburgh Fringe Festival of Scotland where Too Fat received stellar reviews for it’s month-long run and then back to NYC for United Solo WINNING Best Storytelling, 2023.

Limited Availability for Booking in 2025

Illustration of Pheobe Potts smiling with a colorful drawing coming out of her head with various cartoon characters and objects, including animals, food, buildings, and travel-related items, promoting a live theater show called "Too Fat for China."

New Orleans, LA
Easthampton, MA
Providence, RI
Cambridge, MA
Rochester, NY
Portland, OR
Bethesda, MD

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Too Fat for China

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Critical Praise for Too Fat for China

  • Phoebe Potts, a woman with curly brown hair, glasses, and a red necklace, smiling and wearing a black shirt, sitting in the Boston Public Radio television studio with a blue background.

    "Funny and very very smart. I loved it!"

    JIM & MARGERY
    Boston Public Radio

  • Phoebe Potts, a woman giving a comedic performance about adoption in front of a colorful mural with stylized images of babies inside circular frames.

    "Enjoyable, Fascinating, Riotous, and Raw!"

    JARED BOWEN
    Morning Edition

  • Phoebe Potts, a woman in a blue shirt and a colorful skirt is standing on stage in front of a backdrop featuring illustrations of babies wrapped in blankets talking to a full audience about the agony of adoption.

    "Delivered with Humor and Grace!"

    JACQUINN SINCLAIR
    WBUR Boston

  • Phoebe Potts, a woman in a blue dress giving a performance of Too Fat for China to an audience that is smiling and laughing.

    "Winner Best Storytelling at Solo Fest NYC"

    UNITED SOLO SHOW
    2023

  • Phoebe Potts, a woman performing stand-up comedy on stage in front of a backdrop titled 'The Complainer.' She is smiling and wearing a blue top, a colorful skirt, and black tights. There is a white chair and a candlestick on the stage.

    "Honest, brave, illuminating, and very entertaining."

    MEGAN KEMPTON
    DC Theater Arts

  • A woman on stage with curly hair making an angry facial expression, wearing a blue top and standing in front of a comic-style backdrop that reads 'The Complainer.' The backdrop includes the phrases 'My Fault' and 'I Hate Everybody,' along with drawings of a man, a baby, and various objects in a humorous style.

    "The Storytelling is smart and heart warming"

    PATRICIA SILVER
    Fringe Review

  • A woman wearing a blue shirt and a colorful skirt is performing on stage with a black background, next to a whiteboard with charts and text.

    "Self-reflective, illuminating, and amusing"

    DAVID POLLOCK
    The Scotsman

  • A woman standing on a stage with a black curtain background, wearing a blue top and colorful skirt, gesturing with her hands. There is a small table with a tray and a cup, and a chair beside her.

    "Potts is Slick and Snappy!"

    PHYLLIS STEPHEN
    Edinburgh Reporter

  • A woman sitting sideways on a chair, smiling and leaning her head back. She is wearing a blue top and a colorful skirt. Behind her is a sign that reads 'Monster Mortgage Mandatory for Adoptive Motherhood'.

    "Thoughtful, Tender, and Hilarious!"

    MARY GOW
    Rutland Herald