Theatre Review: Disco Pigs at the Everyman, Cork

3/5

This UK production by Reading Rep of Enda Walsh’s seminal play is a fussier version of the original coming-of-age drama. Instead of opting for the minimalist set of the 1996 original that that put Corcadorca on the map and launched the careers of Cillian Murphy and Eileen Walsh, the play is performed on a stage within a stage – a nod, perhaps, to Walsh’s subsequent repertoire of characters doomed to continually act out their stories in an effort to understand themselves.

The stage is emblazoned with a sheet bearing the title of the play. Behind long net curtains are a male and a female mannequin that are used to convey characters and are also mined for body parts. The set is kitsch with a large number ‘17’ sparkling on the back wall, a reference to the birthday that Pig and Runt share and are celebrating in an excessive way. This includes knocking back alcohol, hopping into a taxi for a trip to Crosshaven and dancing manically to pulsating techno music.