To See or Not to See: Disco Pigs

The Irish Repertory Theatre and director John Haidar have brought Enda Walsh’s lively play, Disco Pigs, to life in a brilliant 20th anniversary production.

In the same hospital in Cork, Ireland, within a minute of each other, Pig née Darren (Colin Campbell) and Runt née Sinead (Evanna Lynch) are born. Although they are not related, they spend every waking moment together, from babies to where we meet them today: as seventeen-year-old troublemakers. They re-named each other, and they have their own language that they speak in. As they say, “Jarr my bes pal in da whole whirl.”

Pig and Runt spend their days watching TV, going to pubs to drink, and going to the local Disco to listen to music, dance, and get into physical fights with people. They have lived in their own little bubble for so long that it’s a bit jarring for them now that they’re becoming adults and realizing there is a world outside of the one they’ve made. While Pig is realizing his romantic feelings toward Runt, she’s looking outward at the men she may meet in the future (and, in fact, is shaken by Pig’s burgeoning sexual feelings for her) and thinks of what else she may want out of life outside of their bubble.

There is one particularly beautiful scene in Disco Pigs that really captures their intense bond and which encapsulates this electrifying play. Pig takes Runt to the coast as his birthday gift to her. They sit on the beach and see the ocean for the first time. Looking out at the dark blue expanse before them, both come to a conclusion about what their love is (even if it means different things to each). Pig wants to get even closer while Runt yearns to break away. It is, in essence, a coming-of-age moment that we can all relate to.

This short play clocks in at seventy-five minutes, but it still manages to explore the deep-seeded love that Pig and Runt share with nuance. While it takes a while to get into the play due to the difficulty of Pig and Runt’s special vocabulary paired with their harder-to-understand accents, the kinetic movements of the actors (movement direction by Naomi Said) help convey what is happening without words. Both Campbell and Lynch exude a a fast-paced, sometimes frantic, energy that propels them around the mostly bare stage and into each other. They are like magnets, drawn to and repelled by each other.

Disco Pigs will leave you feeling breathless and astounded by the wonderful performances of both young actors.

Disco Pigs is at the Irish Repertory Theatre through March 4, 2018. For tickets and more information, click here.

Photo Credit: Jeremy Daniel