(4 / 5)


In what is the strangest thing I’ve see at Wigmore Hall came a delight and a disappointment. Bastard Assignments have been commissioned by Wigmore, Borealis – a festival for experimental music and Spor Festival also.

PIGSPIGSPIGS tells of the plight of a family of farmers, in a story not dissimilar to The League of Gentlemen, Roald Dahl and Monty Python. The father transforms into a pig, the build up to this is the all too familar plight of the farmers losing it all.

The company is made up of Edward Henderson, Caitlin Rowley, Josh Spear and Timothy Cape. Whilst there is good chemistry between them, they were in great need of mics, the long Wigmore setting may not have fared well for the extensive spoken passages. Yet, when they got weird it then became wonderful. Glass bottles, hoses, piping and a set of gardening sheers pressed upon piano keys (which is also a be all for the pig in question) are utilised to good effect. More of this! More ambient noise during the spoken bits as well. Their singing is also fair, the marketing would do well to expand on the folk horror of the whole thing.

I think the script might need some tweaking as well. Musicians don’t always make the best actors, but some of the one liners and physical moments the audience and I enjoyed. I think with much tighter direction and a much smaller venue this could be improved ten fold. Naturally, it would fare well at Edinburgh  Fringe. The realisation of a pregnancy lead to an elgonated experimental phase which worked well, just a touch of a lighting change here would have beenp erfect. Said baby becomes the shock of the night, winks to the devastating end of Threads and Rosemary’s Baby. I can still hear that minature toy pig even now…..