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

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

Preview Videos for
Too Fat for China

Watch More Content on
Phoebe’s YouTube Channel

Critical Praise for Too Fat for China

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

    JIM & MARGERY
    Boston Public Radio

  • "Enjoyable, Fascinating, Riotous, and Raw!"

    JARED BOWEN
    Morning Edition

  • "Delivered with Humor and Grace!"

    JACQUINN SINCLAIR
    WBUR Boston

  • "Winner Best Storytelling at Solo Fest NYC"

    UNITED SOLO SHOW
    2023

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

    MEGAN KEMPTON
    DC Theater Arts

  • "The Storytelling is smart and heart warming"

    PATRICIA SILVER
    Fringe Review

  • "Self-reflective, illuminating, and amusing"

    DAVID POLLOCK
    The Scotsman

  • "Potts is Slick and Snappy!"

    PHYLLIS STEPHEN
    Edinburgh Reporter

  • "Thoughtful, Tender, and Hilarious!"

    MARY GOW
    Rutland Herald