ED2019 4/5 Reviews ED2019 Theatre Reviews

The Long Pigs (WE3 and Cluster Arts)

By Jon Stapley | Published on Tuesday 13 August 2019

In a disgusting, grimy abattoir, the Long Pigs are going to work. Their mission is simple – to eliminate all red-nosed clowns, but this turns out to be less straightforward than it sounds. This is a delightfully creepy and irreverent slice of clowning and physical theatre, ably brought to life by three talented performers. The show has a blasted-out, almost post-apocalyptic feel to it as our Pigs squabble over food, lick filthy objects and, occasionally, crucify each other. Their faces are covered in sores, their speech little more than grunts with the odd recognisable word. The wonderful grotesquerie keeps you grimly spellbound as you wonder what all this could possibly be building to – until the climax comes in a horrifying rush.

Assembly Roxy, until 25 Aug.
tw rating 4/5 | [Jon Stapley]