The Pig, or Václav or Havel's Hunt for a Pig - Reviews

“A layered and darkly laced concoction.”

Claudia La Rocco
Read the full review at The New York Times

“An exacting and purposeful project."

Tom Sellar
Read the full review at The Village Voice

“An extraordinary play…a goofy, charming, weird, and also serious evening."

Jay Nordlinger
Read the full review at The National Review

“In any case, the mostly young cast is delightful, whether striking world-weary cabaret poses, acting out Havel's little black joke of a story, joining their voices in lush operatic harmony, or partying on to the tunes of Lou Reed. Robert Honeywell, who plays Havel and looks surprisingly like the man himself, provides the evening with a solid anchor in addition to offering a kicky rendition of "I'm Waiting for the Man." Henry Akona's direction imposes a welcome discipline on a program that could all too easily have descended into chaos…As a kind of mini-festival celebrating Havel and the circumstances that shaped him, The Pig wraps up food, drink, music, and politics into a memorable one-of-a-kind experience.”

David Barbour

Full review at Lighting and Sound

“By adapting the play using all the forms of artistic expression in this production, Henry Akona, Edward Einhorn and the incredibly talented production team and ensemble are not only shouting out Havel’s legacy, they are reminding us of our own. They are encouraging the expression of our inner drive toward independence and self-definition through the arts, innovation and interactive media.."

Carole Di Tosti
Read the full review at blogcritics

“I can truly say that ever since I accompanied my father, the late legendary late drama critic Ward Morehouse to Broadway plays, I've seldom ever enjoyed an evening in the theater as much.”

Ward Morehouse III
Full review at Black Tie Magazine

“A fine adaptation by Edward Einhorn directed with smartness and verve by Henry Akona."

Lucy Komisar
Read the full review at The Komisar Report

“One of the most enveloping, joyful productions of anything I have ever seen...What makes The Pig shine more than anything else, more than the food, more than the comedy, more than the music, is love. You can feel in this show the great love that Havel had for his friends, his country, and his art as well as the love he inspired in others."

Amanda LaPergola
Read the full review at Theater is Easy

The Pig offers a satisfying and bold brew of beer, opera, theatre, multimedia, and laughter.”

Aurin Squire
Full review at New York Theater Review

“It is [Patrice] Miller’s kinetic choreography that really makes the show work”

David Watts Barton

Full review at Stagetology

“Absurdist theater that integrates an entertaining musical score."

Lindsay Barenz
Read the full review at Maxamoo

“An immersive and thoroughly enjoyable experience."

John Peacock
Read the full review at Flavorpill

“the welcoming spirit of the evening confirms what Havel seems to have been saying all long: that laughter and celebration in the face of hardship are the ultimate dissent."

Ethan Kanfer
Read the full review

“A combination of media satire, rural operetta, and political parable, ‘The Pig’ may be one of the more unexpectedly playful and rewarding offerings of New York's summer season.”

Jason Fitzgerald
Read the full review at Backstage

“This snappy slip of a piece, clocking in at a mere 65 minutes, is sprightly and joyful. However short the performance, the cast has plenty of time to display their ample talents, all with fine comedic timing and delivery, lovely singing voices and even the occasional instrument. Edward Einhorn's springy and clever translation pairs well with Henry Akona's easygoing direction that gives The Pig an organic delight befitting such a tale...The Pig offers all the right elements for a satisfying evening: a little melodrama and a lot of humor with music and savories to boot.

Rachel Merrill Moss
Read the full review at nytheatre.com

“The singers were incredible; at one point, Moira Stone playing the Bride moved towards our table, her eyes blazing with such passion that I scraped my chair back and leant back too as if I was in an emotional wind-tunnel...Einhorn fundamentally gets Havel’s theatre, beyond the typically reductive readings of his plays as just ‘dissident’ theatre (a label Havel rejected), to an understanding that these plays are about language – how we use language and how language uses us. The prolixity, ellipses, and repetitions have a rhythm and aesthetic point, that here in Hunt for a Pig is beautifully offset by the musical refrains.”

Michelle Woods
Full review at New York Irish Arts

“The true genius of the piece struck me as this: on the one hand, the ditzy reporter avoids questions about real politics with an important political and cultural figure in favor of this silly anecdote…but the anecdote ends up being devastatingly eloquent about the political and economic situation in the country at the time.”

Trav SD
Full review at Travalanche

"A provocative and frankly entertaining theatrical experience with thoughtful interplay between text and music, amusing anecdote and political commentary...a cause for celebration in its ambiguity, intelligence, and humor."


Donatella Gallela
Slavic and Eastern European Performance Journal