Lardo

There’s a tsunami happening out there - people are clamouring for Lardo – it’s Lardomania and yer won’t be able to hold out for much longer.

Obese, girlfriendless and struggling to make his way, Lardo (Daniel Buckley) is determined to join Tartan Wrestling Madness - the glamorous bad boys of the Scottish wrestling scene. When his dream finally comes true Lardo surprisingly becomes an overnight sensation, but the massive highs and crippling lows of being a professional wrestler soon threaten to overwhelm this unlikely hero.

As his real life descends into something reminiscent of a wrestling storyline, Lardo has to decide what his priorities are, who he can trust, and whether he can retain his love for the sport that made him great. As always in professional wrestling, accounts must be settled in the ring...

Featuring (almost) real stunts, full-scale audience fight interaction (how often can you yell at someone double your size and get away with it?) and enough spandex to throttle a horse, Lardo is the ultimate steel-cage, no-mercy, royal-rumble of theatre for spring 2015.

Lardo is inspired by the resurgence of wrestling in the UK and its fanatical fan base. Powered by social media and the cult of celebrity, it examines how wrestling provides escapism from an increasingly sanitised world. However, as Lardo himself discovers, although his comic act can dominate the ring it may not be enough to deal with the realities of ‘manhood’ and the legacy of the past. This production promises to be a spandex-clad spectacle bringing the theatre of wrestling to the Old Red Lion.

Lardo sees director Finn Caldwell (The Elephantom, The Light Princess, War Horse) continue to give voice to his fascination with visual spectacle through live action. Presented by Metal Rabbit (Fiesta, Johnny Got His Gun), Lardo is a big, bold look at the most ridiculous sport of our time – those who make it, those who hate it and the crowds who adore it.