Inseparable since birth, Pig (Murphy) and Runt (Cassidy) share a secret language and a sense of isolation that only retreat to a fantasy kingdom can relieve. However, these enfants terribles have reached such a heightened state of alienation that there's only one way to go, and there's little that debutant Kirsten Sheridan's stylized imagery can do to prevent this descent into hysterical hostility from becoming thuddingly predictable.
Although Enda Walsh has considerably opened out his stage play, the mix of Cork slang and baby talk still sounds stilted. Moreover, the couple's indivisibility never quite convinces, despite the impressive power of Murphy's short-fused derangement and Cassidy's bemused romanticism.