Trafalgar Studios 12 July – 19 August. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
20 years after its British premiere, Disco Pigs still packs a punch. Under John Haidar’s inspired direction, Enda Walsh’s story about an intense and unhealthy relationship pulsates with energy and bravado.
Pig (Colin Campbell) and Runt (Evanna Lynch) are celebrating their 17th birthdays. Born on the same day, in the same Cork hospital, they are closer than brother and sister, sharing their own language and excluding others, even their families, from their own bubble of reality. Pig is happy being with Runt, whether drinking and dishing out beatings as the self-proclaimed king and queen of Pork City, or huddled in their bedrooms watching Baywatch and Wogan. Runt, however, is beginning to want something more in life, something different and real.
Walsh’s script (delivered in strong Cork accents that bring a magic to the more poetic moments, and a guttural intensity to the violent encounters) is stunning – with the infantile rituals of the pair feeling like a CBeebies version of A Clockwork Orange and drawing gasps of laughter and shock from the audience. Interspersed with the chaos of the night are quiet and lyrical introspective descriptions and musings that allow glimpses of the lost souls beneath the lairy veneer. Walsh captures the turmoil of adolescent emotions in a wonderfully stylised but recognisable way.
Colin Campbell is phenomenal as Pig – changing from innocent puppyish charm to rabid thug in a heartbeat in a powerful and utterly convincing performance. Evanna Lynch is equally impressive, full of energy and especially strong in Runt’s imaginings of a different sort of life. The pair have fantastic and generous chemistry, never competing for the spotlight, and allowing each other their moments to shine. Their physicality is exhausting, and movement director Naomi Said has developed wonderful routines to help tell the story. The miming and sound effects may grate on some members of the audience, but it all felt true to the naivety of the pair’s parallel world, and Richard Kent’s design – bare black stage with intricate and sympathetic lighting changes – conveys the voluntarily imposed isolation of Pig and Runt. They are the only things that matter in their world, except for their quest to get into the Palace Disco, where Campbell gives a gut-wrenching performance as Pig runs through the whole gamut of emotions.
The 20th anniversary production of Disco Pigs is bloody brilliant – beg, steal or borrow, but GET A TICKET.