A engaging and absorbing adaptation which holds the audience's attention throughout. It has plenty of humour and thought provoking subject matter.Summary
Rating
Excellent
Pig Heart Boy, adapted from Malorie Blackman‘s novel by Winsome Pinnock, tells the story of a gentle and intelligent 13 year old schoolboy called Cameron who needs a heart transplant. Unable to find a human donor, he is offered the opportunity to have a genetically modified pig’s heart.
The intimacy of the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse is perfect for this production. The audience is within touching distance of the action and as Cameron, Immanuel Yeboah is very impressive, regularly breaking the fourth wall to engage directly with the audience. His performance is literally at the heart of the production, he is hardly off stage, and he perfectly captures the teenage persona with wonderful physicality. The audience is completely absorbed by his performance.
Yeboah is backed by five excellent performers, playing multiple characters with such skill that at times it’s difficult to tell they have previously appeared as someone else. Chia Phoenix especially, is superb. She plays five completely different roles to perfection; her portrayal of Cameron’s Nan is particularly strong, with their relationship central to the story.
The set itself is highly imaginative, representing a beating heart with neon arteries leading to multiple TV screens, used to illustrate the relevant scene – newspaper headlines, journeys, medical diagrams etc. It’s a clever device that works well, as does the underwater lighting effects. The multi-layered frame is also visually pleasing, enabling the cast to perform at several different levels.
It also suits the show well to run for the full 90 minutes without breaking for an interval. Some of the audience involvement and intensity could well have been lost otherwise.
There are, of course, controversies over genetically modifying an animal with the sole purpose of harvesting its organs for human survival. This is touched upon when Cameron wants to meet Trudy, the donor pig, but the theme of whether humans are more important than animals isn’t fully explored, although it’s quite possible that provoking those questions rather than answering them may actually be the intention.
The production is aimed at 9-13 year olds and they will no doubt enjoy it as they will recognise the humorous schoolroom banter and the bickering parents, but they are sure to be left with questions about morality.
While it could explore deeper the moral dilemmas of its subject matter, Pig Heart Boy is still a fascinating and entertaining production, filled with impressive performances and wonderful stage effects.
Based on the novel by: Malorie Blackman
Adapted by: Winsome Pinnock
Directed by: Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu
Design by: Paul Wills
Lighting design by: Andrew Exeter
Sound design and composed by: XANA
Movement direction by: D K Fashola
Pig Heart Boy plays at Sheffield Theatres until 15 March. and then continues on a UK tour until 14 June.
