Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Windmill Young Actors
Reviews

Brighton Fringe Review: About A Revolution

May 17, 2018
-
Posted by Mike Aiken

You won’t be surprised to hear that ‘About A Revolution’ is no conventional play. In fact, the form is as disruptive as the theme. It includes agitprop, personal testimony and some audience engagement.

It starts in classic socialist realist art style with actors bent forward with the red flag. Voices call out from behind the audience. Then Lenin begins to tell his story. But any expectations that this will be a linear play are quickly upset. He travels across time to debate with Emily Pankhurst, Rosa Luxemburg and a homeless person camping outside Tesco. There is a namecheck for Trotsky, Che, Allende and Martin Luther King. Then: bang! All dead!

This is a massively ambitious drama in a genre somewhere between Brecht and Boal. We see a bricolage of social struggles from 1917 to the present day. Captions with social facts flash up on the large screen. The lighting accentuates the mood alongside beautifully crafted choreography. Young people in the cast – from Shoreham, Hastings and Brighton – speak with passion about their real anxieties and current experiences of change. The audience are invited to shout out what things are pissing them off.

It was the first performance of a project, constructed from historic research and debate among the team, over a six-month period. There may be a few tweaks. Occasionally, the script edges towards sentimentality about the noble poor. But no punches are pulled in articulating injustices faced by disabled people in the welfare system or the high rents young people pay. There’s a thumping power to the voice from Grenfell Tower. “This is not a tragedy, it’s a crime,” says a voice.

But what is to be done? “£10 will buy a blanket for a homeless person,” says another. Lenin intervenes to tell us that capitalists love charity to ‘cover up their crimes’ by saving 1 in a 100. But charity is surely good, another voice says, “people are doing such wonderful things”. This play is a long way from polemic. But you can bet that the Prime Minister woouldn’t enjoy it.

At the end, the packed audience drowns out the noisy generators at the venue with an uproarious standing ovation. Vive la Revolution!

The Warren: The Hat, Wednesday 16th May 2018
Returns 17th May

Brighton Fringe
Politics
May 17, 2018
Email
Mike Aiken
Mike lives in Brighton. This is a full time occupation. He's also a researcher, writer and activist. Any time left over he spends hanging around cafes and pubs listening to people on their phones. He loves theatre that pokes into difficult places. You won't find him on Facebook.
← PREVIOUS POST
Brighton Fringe Review: A Berlin Kabaret!
NEXT POST →
Brighton Fringe Review: David Hoyle's Love In
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Cluedo Preview
    May 26, 2022

    Cluedo promises murder with its mystery as the board-game-turned-film-turned-stage-show lands at Theatre Royal Brighton for its next turn.

  • Comedy of Errors Fringe
    May 26, 2022

    Cut down version of Shakespeare's comedy of misrecognition, disguise and farce. Three performers with manic hat changes and cool banjo.

  • The Great Escape 2022 Review (Sat)
    May 21, 2022

    We saw a wealth of international talent at The Great Escape, but on the final day two bands from Brighton stole the show.

  • Accidental Birth of an Anarchist
    May 18, 2022

    Activists protesting against fossil fuels occupy an oil rig in this exciting collaboration between Unmasked Theatre and artists' collective Rising Tides.

  • Jacob Collier, Thursday 16th June
    May 18, 2022

    The multi Grammy-winning singer and multi-instrumentalist brings his worldwide 'Djesse' tour to Brighton Dome.

  • The Great Escape 2022 Review (Fri)
    May 18, 2022

    More bands, more reviews. Friday's festival was a heady mix of Turkish techno, gothic indie, Japanese folk, jazz punk and grime metal.

  • Gregory Porter Review
    May 17, 2022

    Gregory Porter was back in town, ahead of his headline slot at Love Supreme, with an excellent, expanded band and a totally amazing opening act.

  • The Great Escape 2022 Review (Thur)
    May 16, 2022

    The Great Escape made a triumphant return with three days of musical mayhem across the city. Here's a round-up of two dozen acts we caught on Thursday.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2021
Brighton Fringe Review: About A Revolution - Brighton Source