St. Patrick’s Day is approaching and everyone with five or more freckles is celebrating with cheers of, “Sláinte!” But after seeing Disco Pigs, I’m going to spend March 17th silently thanking Great Grandpa Finnbahr for abandoning the emerald isle. For those of us who were charmed by the recent Dublin based musical, warning, Disco Pigs is no Once. It presents the gritty side of Cork City, where a seventeen-year-old lad (Pig) and ladette (Runt) have nothing better to do than drink, scam and pulverize people. Problem is they’re getting older. Runt wants bigger and better things, while Pig just wants Runt.

Telling Quote: “Smash, smash, smash. Ashtray. Smash, smash, smash.”

You’ll Like this Play if You Like: Trainspotting, Snatch, Fightclub, Kids

Highlight: Richard Harte, as Pig, and Cathy Murphy, as Runt, were fiery balls of raw energy. To dance, makeout and fight with invisible characters can’t be easy, but they pulled it off. I especially appreciated how Harte managed to give psychological insight and depth to his violent character without sentimentalizing him.

Lowlight: Maybe I should have consulted the Irish Lexicon provided in the program, but about 80% of the time I was like, um, I’ve no idea what they are saying; the play might as well have been in French (I got my OAC eight years ago, and let’s just say I’m a bit rusty).

Who you should bring: Your punk younger brother.

Verdict: Eighty minutes of gutter mouth Gaelic and random acts of violence exceed my limit, even if the acting and soundtrack rock. But if Tarantino flicks are a walk in the park to you, you’ll get a kick out of Disco Pigs. P.S.you might find yourself doing Jager shots and thrashing about The Kathedral afterwards so wear a ripped up black tee and your sneakers.

Feb 28-Mar 15, 8pm, Alchemy Theatre, 133 Tecumseth, $15, $5 HipTix, Sundays PWYC