Red Bus Londinium Life

Pig Heart Boy, currently playing at the Unicorn Theatre ahead of a national tour, is based on the best-selling book by former children’s laureate Malorie Blackman. The novel was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and adapted by the BBC into a Bafta award-winning TV series. Here it is adapted for the stage by Winsome Pinnock and directed by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu. It is impressively staged, thought-provoking and deserves wide audiences.

Pig Heart Boy centres around 13-year-old Cameron (a very adaptable Immanuel Yeboah) whose life is limited both in length and quality by a heart condition and who will die without a transplant. With few human hearts on offer, he accepts an offer of a pig’s heart and then he and his family must face the consequences of that decision.

Malorie Blackman as an author always trusts her young readers to grapple with big issues. Pig Heart Boy gives its young audience (target 9 – 12 year olds) that same respect on stage. Themes of animal ethics, the power of the press, honesty, temptation and integrity are woven through the show. The issues it presents feel very fresh and topical and it’s hard to believe the book was first published in 1997.

Paul Will‘s has designed a set which pulsates like a heart and which can be used very versatilely as a playground, bedroom, swimming pool ladder and more. The costumes are also clever, with the pigs in particular as amusing as they are provocative.

The cast is strong with most playing multiple roles. This is never confusing due to clear costuming clues and a very differentiated style of portayal.

For teachers and schools considering booking the show on its tour, an excellent classroom resource has been produced to use alongside the show. Parents too might find this helpful as it signposts suitable websites children might choose to explore if they are interests in xenotransplantation and animal ethics.

Pig Heart Boy is an example of how the theatre can provoke conversation. It offers much to its intended young audience with plenty for accompanying adults to ponder as well.