All Cameron wants to do is play ‘dare devil dive’ with his friends in the swimming pool as he drowns in the frustration of having to deal with a chronic illness. Immanuel Yeboah charms the audience as he cleverly showcases Cameron’s simultaneous despair and adolescent wonder at the prospect of a brighter future. The adaptation has all the elements of a successful play: comedy intertwined with anguish.
A crucial aspect of the minimalist staging was Paul Wills’ decision to position a speaker centre-stage. The pulse of the amp, representing a heart, was connected to a cardiovascular system of lighting designed by Andrew Exeter that portrayed the veins and arteries. The combination of the two elements dictated the feeling of each scene and prompted an understanding of emotions for the intended audience of ages 9-13. Contemporary music and flashy dance scenes should also appeal to this age range.
Yeboah also offers moments of reflectance, engaging the audience as he breaks the fourth wall, prompting the viewer to question their own experiences. Christine During excels in the role of Cathy, (Cameron’s Mother) as she vacillates between the option of allowing her son to proceed with the unprecedented surgery or protecting her only child from any harm. She conveys Cathy’s plight with empathy and subtlety, permitting the actress to stand out.
The play grapples with the value of life whether human or not. It argues with the ethics of animal cruelty for human gain in one scene where an activist smears Cameron in pigs blood. Or, In another scene where Cameron meets his donor, Trudy, a personified dancing pig played by Chia Phoenix. Whilst comedic relief is important in a play with such heavy tones, it felt as though the choreographic routine undermined the importance of this matter.
Whilst the cast is small, consisting only of six, the intimate Playhouse is the ideal setting for a play dealing with such colossal themes. At times, the audience squealed with laughter as the cast trotted around the stage. Captivating and funny, Pig Heart Boy runs for only 90 minutes, but in this short time it impressively considers a great deal of the original work, staying true to Blackman’s intention.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Pig Heart Boy is playing at the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse until March 15th, & touring the U.K. until June 14th
