Theatre / The Three Little Pigs

Pipo and Pepe, the main stars of the theatrical piece, as they appear in the television adaptation.

Our butchery is special
Our butchery is different
If you wish to come and try
Just give us a call and stop by!

Pipo and Pepe's song

"Os Três Porquinhos"^note The Portuguese translation of "The Three Little Pigs" is a brazilian theatrical comedy parody that puts a spin on the classic fairy tale with humor that you could say was pretty ahead of its time. Created by the French-Brazilian theatre collective Le Plat Du Jour with Carla Candiotto and Alexandra Golik as the only actresses throughout the entire piece, the play has won a couple awards in 2003 for its creativity and ingenuity.

The comedy follows Pipo and Pepe, two butchers working at a rather unusual butchery shop that has meat of anything you could imagine - bicycles, refrigerators, fruit, toys, diapers, glasses, everything... ...except normal meat. When they receive a call from a customer asking for ordinary pork meat, Pipo is sent on a quest for a pig - and they happen to know of a place where they can find one - Aunt Porpeta's pigsty in Muzambinho, Minas Gerais. That is where the titular pigs Pedrinho, Zezinho and Frederico Afonso live. Hilarity Ensues.

The play has been given a television adaptation veiculated by TV Cultura on the Teatro Rá-Tim-Bum show, although that version is currently lost media (Though bits of footage from it can still be seen). There was also a book, and an Audio CD of the entire play with a Narrator as well as cutting out the visual gags that wouldn't translate well to audio-only form. This one has been found and preserved.

Additionally, a recording of the play in its entirety can be viewed from one of Le Plat Du Jour's official YouTube channels.

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We have meat of tropes:

• Adaptation Expansion: The play expands on the classic tale by making entirely new characters and their Backstory.
• A Dog Named "Dog": Pipo and Pepe's butchery shop is simply called... Pipopepe.
• All Musicals Are Adaptations: While it is an uniquely weird parody, it checks out.
• All Work vs. All Play: Played straight much like in the original tale and the Disney cartoon.
• Anything but That!: When Pipo and Pepe realize the only pigs they have seen in their entire lives were the ones in Aunt Porpeta's pigsty.
  Both: Aunt Porpeta?!
  Both: Muzambinho?!
  Both: No No No No NO!!!
• Artificial Meat: Possibly implied, as Pipo and Pepe's butchery shop sells anything but the meat you'd expect.
• Artistic License: Basically how the phones seemingly work in the universe of the play. It is very much Played for Laughs especially considering the medium, and it's made especially funny in the television adaptation. With both the play and its adaptations being made in a pre-smartphone era, it becomes Hilarious in Hindsight when Pipo, contacting Pepe through the telephone, tries to show him his current state. Visually. By basically gesturing with the phone as if it were a "scanner".
• Audience Participation: A few moments in the actual play have this. When Pipo leaves his hometown to try to find where Aunt Porpeta's pigsty is, he goes to the audience to asks for directions.
  • Additionally, near the end of the play, Frederico Afonso calls for someone in the audience to help him test his invention.
• The Big Bad Wolf: The character Pipo tries to disguise himself as.
• Black Comedy: When Frederico starts explaining to the viewer about his indecision on career goals, he mentions the career that his mother - who became Baconzitos (a popular bacon flavored snack/chips brand) - wanted him to pursue.
• Blatant Lies:
  • Pedrinho describing the wolf's appearance to is highly exaggerated.
  Pedrinho: His mouth... is the size of a TUNNEL!
  Pedrinho: His fangs... are as long as a lamp post!
  Pedrinho: And his tongue... goes on for miles and miles!
  • Pipo giving Pepe blatant excuses for why he couldn't catch the pigs. Pepe doesn't buy it.
• Brainy Pig: Like in many adaptations of the classic story, the Practical pig is given a rather nerdy, intelligent and sensible character. The same applies here with Frederico Afonso. Though... with exceptions.
• Bring It: Zezinho's constant attitude when given the hypothetical scenario of the wolf coming by is to say that he will punch him and kick him a lot.
• Chimney Entry: As per the classic tale, Pipo as the wolf ultimately decides to go down Frederico's chimney (which on the theatrical play he has to provide himself), though the idea to do so came from his exchange with Frederico when he was disguised as Santa Claus.
  Frederico (after opening the door): ...You're Santa?
  Pipo (Disguised as a wolf in a Santa disguise): Yes I am!
  Frederico: The one who gives presents to the people?
  Pipo (Wolf Santa disguise): Yes!
  Frederico: And the one who comes down the chimney?
  Pipo (Wolf Santa disguise): Yes Yes!
  Frederico: ...then you're going through the WRONG entry! Ha Ha Haaaa!!!! (slams door)
  • Before Pipo is able to go down the chimney successfully, he is grabbed by the shirt by none other than Aunt Porpetta (who doesn't recognize him in his wolf disguise).
• Constantly Curious: As Zezinho teases Frederico for being too indecisive, he starts asking questions about which decisions should Frederico make, before it devolves into random unrelated questions.
  Zezinho: What will you put down first? Bricks? Or Mortar?
  Frederico: Well you see, it's not really that easy-
  Zezinho: The door? Or the window?
  Frederico: Well I-I mean, the door should-
  Zezinho: Blue? Or red?
  Frederico: I-I think re-
  Zezinho: Round? Or square?
  Frederico: Hmm...
  Zezinho: ...How old are you?
  Zezinho: What's your shoe size?
  Zezinho: How tall are you?
  Zezinho: ...do you wear underwear?
• Crosscast Role: In true theatrical tradition, all male characters are portrayed by women actresses. There is only one woman character in the entire play - Aunt Porpeta.
• Crossover: When Pipo as the Big Bad Wolf starts to disguise himself as different characters in order to try to enter Frederico's brick house, he starts by dressping up as the Little Red Riding Hood.
  Frederico (after opening the door): ...You're the Little Red Riding Hood?
  Pipo (Disguised as a wolf but with a red hood and high pitched voice): Yes I am!
  Frederico: The one who delivers sweets to the people?
  Pipo (Wolf Red Hood disguise): Yes Yes!
  Frederico: From the "Little Red Riding Hood" story?
  Pipo (Wolf Red Hood disguise): Yes Indeed!
  Frederico: ...then you're in the WRONG story! Ha Ha Haaaa!!!! (slams door)
• Dark Reprise: "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" returns later to the score in a minor key (as background music while Frederico finishes building his house while the other pigs sleep).
• Department of Redundancy Department: When the pigs finish building their houses, they all say that they feel "tired, exhausted and worn out" before going into their houses to take a nap.
• Disguised in Drag: In-universe, Pipo does this as an attempt to break into Frederico's house.
• The Ditherer: Frederico Afonso can't decide which career he wants to pursuit - Engineer or Architect? Nor which part of the house to start building first - Brick or Mortar? The Door or the Window?
• Duck Season, Rabbit Season: When Frederico argues with Zezinho about the questionable quality of his house made of straws, this exchange happens:
  Frederico: Did you guys use bricks, mortar and sand?
  Zezinho: Well... more or less!
  Frederico: More on the "more" side or the "less" side?
  Zezinho: More on the "more" side!
  Frederico: More like less.
  Zezinho: More like more!
  Frederico: More like less.
  Zezinho: More like more!
  Frederico: More like more...
  Zezinho: More like less-
  Frederico: I told you...
• The Film of the Play: The television version commissioned by TV Cultura for the Teatro Rá-Tim-Bum program is a Filmed Stage Production with a bit of a higher budget, more unique costumes and entire humbly built sets built for the butchery shop and the pigs' pigpen, as well as a couple special effects here and there, but still very in the spirit of the original piece.
• For Inconvenience, Press "1": Pepe does an imitation of this at the phone (as well as mimicking phone hold music) to stall the customer while Pipo tries searching for pork meat in the shop.
• Fractured Fairy Tale: Basically the whole premise of the play.
• Gadgeteer Genius: In the Disney shorts, the Practical pig is portrayed as such, and it's no different here. Although he is indecisive, he is a self-proclaimed inventor, working on a "super-sonic" wolf catching device.
• Hypocritical Humor: When the playful pigs tease each other for being scared of the wolf. When they both find out the wolf is on the loose they both give in and confess to being afraid.
• Just a Stupid Accent: Pipo and Pepe are apparently portrayed as being of Italian origins, as they would use an exaggerated accent when talking to each other. Pipo completely drops the accent though when he has to disguise himself as the wolf.
• "I Am" Song: Frederico Afonso has a song describing his character. A cautious, perhaps a bit paranoid, but smart, and definitely well decided.
  I'm a little pig
  I'm very decided
  Don't know if I should do this, or if I should do that
• Implausible Deniability: When Zezinho is caught by Pedrinho on the floor, screaming about the wolf, and immediately starts to tease him, Zezinho gives the excuse that he was just trying to find his contact lenses.
• List Song: The first musical number in the play, where Pipo and Pepe sing about how unusual their butchery shop is, in comparison to the typical one. They start listing the wacky assortment of meats that they sell.
  We have meat from bananas
  From apples and avocados
  We have meat from hammers
  From nails and also pliers
  We have meat from onions
  From tomatoes and vinagrette
  We have meat from dolls
  From toy cars, even scooters
• Medium Awareness:
  • Happens at several points in both the play and TV adaptation. A literal helping hand comes by from the back of the stage (or from the corner of the screen in the TV adaptation) to give helpful Props to Pipo when convenient.
  • In one of the calls between Pipo and Pepe, Pipo asks Pepe (who's supposed to be at the butchery shop, while Pipo is out trying to catch the pigs) to hold his phone for a second while he tries to show Pipo his current state of weakness and tiredness. This is especially effective in the television adaptation where they are seen in a Split-Screen Phone Call.
  • At the end, when Pipo has to come up with an excuse for why he couldn't catch the pigs, when he is about to describe what happened to the third pig, he pauses for a bit, looks at Pepe, then back and forth, and says "You know, that pig actually kinda looked like you a little bit."
• Multi Armed Multi Tasking: Mentioned by Pipo for comedy as he tells Pepe about how he managed to almost capture the pigs.
  Pipo: And so... I caught the first pig with ONE hand...
  Pipo: Then the OTHER pig with ANOTHER hand...
  Pipo: And then the OTHER pig... with ANOTHER hand...
  Pepe: ...three hands, Pipo?
  Pipo: ...yeah? Three pigs, three hands.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: When Arnold Schwarzenegger is mentioned.
• Odd Name Out: The first two little pigs are named in similarly diminutive forms of names "Pedrinho" and "Zezinho"(Not too dissimilar from how Disney handled Donald Duck's nephew names in Brazil) while the third pig (this play's take on the Practical pig) was given the name of Frederico Afonso.
• Overly Long Gag: Not present in the audio CD version due to being mostly visual, the previously mentioned Handy Helper would whistle to Pipo, and give him a portable fan to help him blow away the pig's houses since he has asthma. As Pipo tries to return to the center of the stage, the hand whistles again, and Pipo goes back to give it a handshake. Finally, the hand calls for Pipo one final time, this time making a gesture asking for money. An annoyed Pipo gives the hand the money, as he believes it's only fair.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: The Big Bad Wolf costume worn by Pipo to try to catch the little pigs is pretty much this. Granted, the pigs would never know who Pipo is other than the wolf to begin with, but Aunt Porpeta probably does.
  • Pipo as the wolf decides to further disguise himself as several characters in order to try to enter Frederico's brick house. And he does that by stacking the diguises on top of each other.
  • As the play itself is a two actor only piece, The three pigs cannot be on stage at once. And to distinguish Frederico's character from that of Pedrinho, the actress simply wears glasses and puts on a different voice with Speech Impediment. Obviously, this makes sense given the medium, however in the television adaptation, while it still has the same actresses playing the characters, they were all given more distinct costumes (And through special effects, the third pig could appear with the two at the same time, but since the story is already structured in a way where that doesn't happen, then it... doesn't.).
• Running Gag:
  • Pepe plays an obviously rigged game of Eeny-Meeny-Miney-Moe with Pipo to decide who has to go out and find a pig. The same rigging "strategy" is used again by Pedrinho and Zezinho to decide who hides and who seeks when they go play Hide and Seek.
  • Usually before a musical number (or simply a change in background music) the characters would lightly "break the fourth wall", asking an unseen Maestro for appropriate music to go with (usually the last sentence the character(s) have said word for word)
  • On the audio CD, the Narrator can be heard several times between scene transitions going: "Hmm... will this work?"
  • Pipo as the wolf, coming up with a plan on the spot, either to wake up the pigs when they're sleeping, or to try to get into Frederico's brick house, would go "How easy!" before putting his plan into action. When it doesn't work, he immediately announces "How difficult!"
  • Pedrinho and Zezinho constantly tease each other about being afraid. At the turning point where they realize they should start building their houses, they both state that they are, in fact, afraid, still in a mocking manner but combined with actual fear.
  • Pepe often calls Pipo on the telephone during his "mission", annoying him in the process. In the last two times he does this, as Pepe starts the call with "Is this Pipo?", Pipo, in a sarcastic Deadpan Snarker tone responds "No... Saci Pererê...'' - to which Pepe responds "Oh, sorry, dialed the wrong number...", Pipo responds "Of course it's me, who else could it possibly be?!" to which Pepe finally responds: "...Saci Pererê?" - The second time this happens it plays out exactly the same but Pipo mentions Arnold Schwarzenegger instead.
• Shout-Out: Depending on the version of the play, or even completely adlibbed on the spot by the actors, they will make a few references. However some shoutouts are consistent in the script, like in the phone Running Gag mentioned above.
  • Frederico Afonso mentions about how his mother "became Baconzitos" at least twice. Baconzitos is a popular Pepsico/Lay's/Elma Chips brand exclusive to Brazil.
  • One particular instance that was heard in the TV adaptation and, since that is currently lost, can only be recalled by the writer of this page entirely from memory, is one of Pipo's excuses for not being able to capture the pigs was that one of them seemingly turned into Michael Jackson.
• The Song Before the Storm: The Villain Song of the comedy. Pipo sings it as he is about to huff, puff and blow the pigs' houses in (in a rather unconventional way, let's say, since he has asthma.)
• Song Parody: After Pedrinho and Zezinho decide that they'd rather play than build their houses they begin singing a slightly Darker and Edgier version of the classic "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" tune in a heavy metal style.
  Quem tem medo do lobo mau? Não é normal! Não é normal!
  Quem tem medo do lobo mau? Não é normal! Não é normal!^note A rough translation/adaptation would be: "Who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? You're a fool! You're a fool!"
• Speak in Unison: When we first see the two playful pigs for the first time and they find each other after possibly a game of Hide and Seek.
  Both: Ha! Found you!
  Both: No! I did!
  Both: I found you first! YOU found me second!
• Split-Screen Phone Call: Done sometimes in the television adaptation.
• Spoof Aesop: Given at the end of the play as Pipo and Pepe reprise their first musical number as "the reason they can't provide the customer with pork meat" along with their final lines in the play:
  Both: (After the song ends) ...but if you want pork meat, go find somewhere else! Goodbye!
• Willing Suspension of Disbelief: Pretty much a requirement for many theatrical pieces aimed at children, but also something that is definitely taken into account and Played for Laughs in the entire play. As the creators themselves state, the play is very "cartoony" and won't hesitate to pull off some absurd, perhaps meta jokes.
• Wire Dilemma: Frederico has one while testing his invention and it doesn't work.
  Frederico: Oh bother. I think I put the red wire on where the yellow one was supposed to go... or was it the blue one on where the green one was supposed to go?

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