Disco Pigs

Born only moments apart, next door neighbours Pig (Murphy) and Runt (Cassidy) have been inseparable ever since, their unique bond expressed by a private language somewhere between infant gurgling and sixth form poetry. The secondary school reckons it's unhealthy and tries to prise them apart, but while Runt herself is starting to experience a few hormonal tingles over classmate Marky (Healy), Pig is intent on taking their relationship 'to a new level'. The end of innocence is shaping up to be rather messy. Sheridan's adaptation of Enda Walsh's play is marked by the decision to retain Walsh's heightened theatrical dialogue, which invites the performers to deliver a commensurate full-on emotionalism. Some may be spellbound, others will want to spit. With his spookily blue eyes, Murphy is a unique, forceful presence among young leading men, Cassidy deftly shades the progression from wide-eyed pixie to complicated adult complete with fears and longings, while Sheridan displays an unerring feel for the build-up of tension within scenes, despite the overall predictability of the 'fairytale goes sour' outline.