Pig Heart Boy

“Is it better to have a pig's heart that works… than a human heart that doesn't?” That is the question that launched ‘Pig Heart Boy’ this week at Sheffield’s Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse Theatre. ‘Pig Heart Boy’ is a tour-de-force of moral panic, adolescent courage, friendship and idealism. The show is based on the timeless coming of age novel by multi award-winning writer Malorie Blackman OBE (Noughts and Crosses). The story has been creatively adapted for stage by Winsome Pinnock and is directed wonderfully by Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu.

Immanuel Yeboah shines as the teenage boy Cameron who has spent his youth being tortured by the stress of living with an ailing heart. Cameron is faced with the opportunity to take part in a new scientific trail that aims to successfully transplant a pig heart into his body in lieu of the human heart transplant that he is unable to find. Yeboah is full of energy and charisma as he guides the audience through this journey of self-discovery and the confrontation of social norms and ideals. Through excellent and impassioned acting and outstanding set design, the audience is fully immersed into Cameron’s world and it’s impossible not to empathise and be emotionally invested into the characters and their lives. The characters are full of infectious joy and life and that is testament to the actor’s energy and passion.

The show is unpredictable and fast and pulls absolutely no punches throughout its 1 hour 30 minutes run time with no interval. This is perfect for younger members of the audience who remained gripped throughout. The story explores many different themes and social issues with some being incredibly up front and others more subtle. This makes the show perfect for families. Parents will be challenged and engaged just as much as younger members of the audience too. Finding that balance is incredibly hard to achieve and ‘Pig Heart Boy’ does an outstanding job at manoeuvring it.

‘Pig Heart Boy’ is a wildly creative and wholly original production that continues the outstanding creative run that Sheffield’s Playhouse Theatre is on. If you have enjoyed ‘Kenrex’ or the global hit ‘The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime’ then ‘Pig Heart Boy’ is certainly not be missed. ‘Pig Heart Boy’ is playing at Sheffield’s Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse Theatre from Thursday 27th February to Saturday 15th March before continuing up and down the country.