"The Wireless Theatre Company’s performance of Pig in Boots, held at The Headliners Comedy Club in Chiswick on 4 December, was wonderfully free from the usual trappings and formulae of theatre. On the night, the assembled audience cradled dark brown pints of real ale or super-sized glasses of posh wine (with seemingly little choice in-between) and wondered what to expect. There were a few small details to go on beforehand. This was to be a live performance of a radio play, penned by Rocky Horror Show (or Crystal Maze, depending on age/taste) legend Richard O’Brian, with a poster featuring what looked like an extra from Babe wearing (you guessed it) a big clunking set of boots to helpfully illustrate the content. The lights dropped, and the audience settled in for the show. By means of introduction, we were greeted by the Company’s live sound team, consisting of the Foley Brothers, Axl and Roley, who reminded us that, as the performance was being recorded for their website, our role as audience meant we were responsible for alerting the cast to any fluffed lines with a hearty pantomime boo and hiss. The Brothers then retreated to their place at the side, where they proceeded to orally soundtrack the proceedings. No matter what the unfolding scenes demanded, they had a noise for the occasion. A clattering of horses hooves, a kettle’s whistle, the whine of a circling fly and an ad-libbed sample from Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’ later and they were still going strong. The events on stage rollicked along in the same charmingly ramshackle way. The cast was identically dressed in uniform black, with handy chalk signatures scribbled across their chests to inform the audience of which character they were playing. This soon proved to serve a practical purpose, as actors started doubling up on the roles they occupied. Indeed, one of the most interesting (and funny) aspects of Pig in Boots was being able to place the faces of the voice actors against the often wildly incongruous fictional parts they inhabited. For a radio company, the cast seemed perfectly at ease in their visible on-stage roles, delivering a lively, energetic performance that guided the strangeness of a staged play for radio to a naturally absurd outcome. Richard O’Brian’s script proved to be a welcome match for the oddity on stage. Beginning with a soothsaying kettle appearing to lead character Tom Tom in a vision, events only got stranger as his character proceeded to hook up with Patsy, the very human-like pig of the play’s title. The audience accompanied them as they travelled across the country, encountering an ever-growing mix of characters as they unveiled a plan to scam wealthy victims out of their riches with a pyramid scheme based on non-existent real estate… If this sounds a little bit unusual, it only got more so as the play rolled on to its conclusion. If the cast was clearly having fun bringing the play to life, the audience couldn’t help being drawn into the fun. As it applauded during the closing Band Aid-imitating Christmas sing-along, there was no mistaking the sheer glee on people’s faces. Despite (or maybe because of) its strangeness, Pig in Boots was a genuine success, and a fantastic introduction to the work of what is an obviously talented group of performers. Here’s looking forward to the Wireless Theatre Company’s next outing, whether on our iPods or in the flesh. "

Chris Brawley, Brands2Life