Le Cochon Entier @ Zoo Roxy

 

Le Cochon Entier begins with four performers making rhythmic synchronised movements. Their jerks and expressions seem to represent the cravings of an addict. Then two of the performers dress the other two in costumes with hand-held masks attached, and go to the back of the stage and take up instruments.

Then the performance proper began, telling the story of two meat sellers who set up in a vegetarian village, and desire for their product soon outstrips the supply. It seemed as if the opening sequence would be disconnected from the rest of the drama, but as the performance continued the stylised movement of the characters became the core; the backbone of the performance that connected the mad craving of the villagers to the two meat sellers and their story.

Le Cochon Entier finds its expression in movement and music. The two characters are half-puppet, half-human and their exaggerated movement creates a repulsive sort of desperation reminiscent of a horror film. The production is quite cinematic: the pitch and tempo of the music controlled the action and the small stage channelled the viewer’s attention in a camera-like way.

The voices of the performers are removed and a radio-based narration gave it a story-like quality: this, combined with the masks and costumes removes the human-ness from performances  as if there were no actors on stage at all. It recalls of several films: most notably Delicatessen, with its sweaty, stomach-turning filthiness; and The Dark Crystal, and its grotesque character movement and stylised puppetry.

The performance was not without pathos, and the extreme action to which one of the characters is driven, and their resultant loss and regret powerfully feeds back the humanity into the performance, just when it had been forgotten.