Disco Pigs at the Crucible Sheffield Review
Disco Pigs
Crucible, Sheffield
7-8 October 2016
Reviewed by Jenny Bray
This play was held at the Crucible theatre in Sheffield. The Crucible is a modern theatre venue in the theatre square in Sheffield that also houses the more traditional Lyceum. The theatres have an agreement with the local Q parks that theatre goers can get the first hour of parking free so I headed to that car park to park then walked the short distance to the theatre. We arrived early so had a drink at the bar before heading in. All the staff we encountered were very friendly and welcoming. This production was held in the Crucible Studio, which is the smaller of the two theatres housed within the Crucible. This meant it was quite an intimate setting, which worked well with the play.
Disco Pigs is a play focused around 2 characters and lots of clever stage props. Pig and Runt, real names Sinéad and Darren, were born one second apart in the same hospital, grow up next door to each other and spend all their time together in their own little self-contained world maintaining an obsessive and extreme friendship. It is based around them living in Cork in a grimy, crime ridden and violent area. The play centres around them going out just before and at the time of turning 17.
The play is touring the UK and Ireland as part of its 20th anniversary.
While people were walking in and finding their seats Pig and Runt were moving around stage playing portable cassette players. They then move to the proper opening sequence, which is behind a sheet with them doing a shadow of the labour of one of their mothers in the ambulance on the way to hospital, which is hilarious. The following sequence of the births in the hospital played out with children’s dolls is less so and is a little odd. After that the focus is entirely on the two of them and their lives. They both have strong Irish accents and have also invented their own language to communicate with each other, which is a bit hit and miss when used on stage. They spend every waking minute together, drink excessively and go out committing crime, including violent crime (mainly by Pig). Their parents aren’t in control of them and just get sworn at. By their 17th birthday there are hints that Runt is starting to wonder what life would be like if she had something in her life other than Pig, such as an education or a male love interest in a pub or club. However, Pig is becoming sexually attracted to Runt and wants to be her lover as well as her best friend. He doesn’t want anything or anyone to come between that, even when that means physically attacking any male that dares to show Runt any attention. They go out and hit the town for their 17th birthdays, drinking heavily and causing chaos and violence which ultimately ends in disaster.
The play had some aspects that were very funny but also had parts that were very dark. There is a lot of swearing throughout but this is incorporated in the overall tale and seems very fitting with the play. However, the end just left me a little confused. In fact, I was confused in several parts of the play. At one point Pig is saying a dialogue through a microphone about finally making love to Runt. This is spoken on one side of the stage while she is sat on an armchair listening to headphones on the other side of the stage. It was hard to tell whether Pig was talking through his thoughts and dreams or it was a dialogue of it having actually happened. I was also confused as to whether he had forced himself on her earlier in the play or whether that was also actions in his head rather than in reality. At one point Runt is beaten up in a club and seems to be hugely injured but, after a very surreal dialogue while they both stare into space and I wasn’t sure what was going on, she seems to miraculously recover to go to the Palace nightclub, where she shows no signs of having been injured.
Working out that it was based in 1996 I was also a little puzzled by some of the props that were used and some of the music. Portable cassette players were used several times but my recollection of 1996 was that most people were using CDs. Some of the music that was played was also a lot older than 1996.
However, the overall use of props was very clever as the whole play is based entirely around the 2 actors, with mannequins and other props used to portray other characters and scenes. The rear of the set is partially hidden behind long net curtains, where the mannequins and other props are kept. At the very rear is a large number 17 lit up in multi coloured lights for the majority of the play. The overall set remained intact but different aspects were lit up or highlighted for different parts of the play.
Even though the play was quite short, at 1 hour 10 minutes, it felt very intense as it was very emotive throughout. This is all kudos to the actors, who were very good and extremely convincing.
Odd, strangely compelling and very dark and twisted but a little hard to follow at times.
Rating: 3.5/5
Tickets cost from £11 to £15 (booking fees may apply).
Disco Pigs is at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield until 8 October 2016. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0114 249 6000.
Crucible Theatre, 55 Norfolk Street, Sheffield, S1 1DA | 0114 249 6000
