Writer: Alexis Gregory
Director: Rikki Beadle-Blair
Following multiple highly-successful productions, Riot Act has now been adapted for online streaming and can be viewed throughout February as part of LGBTQ+ History Month. The piece, created and performed by Alexis Gregory, is constructed verbatim from interviews with three influential figures from the LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Gregory has curated an absolute treasure trove of queer history in Riot Act. It has been said, albeit cruelly, that the suffering of one person is a tragedy, while the suffering of many becomes a statistic – because people respond more to personalisation and specifics. The level of detail in Riot Act is mesmerizing. The intimacy of the storytelling grips you constantly as you rediscover events you may think you know well, through the personal lens of the interviewed parties.
Michael-Anthony Nozzi, a Stonewall survivor, recounts his experience of the riots and gay liberation movement shortly after moving to New York, yet spends significant time revelling in how disdainfully grim he found the, now iconic, Stonewall Inn to be. Drag-artist Lavina Co-op provides a British view of the attitude-shift into ‘not acting gay, but being yourself’, the notion of ‘safe spaces’, and how drag has now become the subversive act for young queer people that cruising used to be. While AIDS activist Paul Burston gives the most politically charged interview, discussing the notion of ‘cumulative grief’, channelling grief into action, the friction within the community between men and women, and how having so much to fight against simultaneously gave people a strong sense of identity and an overwhelming feeling of disempowerment.
Gregory does an excellent job of presenting the three interviewees distinctly, entertainingly and respectfully. Between Michael’s eccentric persona and gravelly-American-accent; Lavina’s camp attitude and nasal drone; and Paul’s comparatively ‘masc’ nature, Gregory’s performance provides necessary gear-shifts without ever feeling caricature. With such rich, intricate and naturally heavy material to work with, Gregory does an intelligent job of letting the words carry the story, layering on enough performance to be engaging but not too much that the experience ever feels laboured.
Under the direction of the returning Rikki Beadle-Blair, the production transitions well to screen and, rather than off-putting, this experience feels heightened with a greater degree of intimacy. There are also additional features to be enjoyed in the digital adaptation of Riot Act, such as backstage footage bookending the show and small interactions between Michael, Lavina and Paul which would not be possible live. If there is a downfall to this format, however, it is over-editing – as the excess of cuts between angles sometimes risks disrupting the pace.
It is referenced multiple times throughout the production that AIDS created a ‘break’ in the chain of the queer community, halting the passing down of culture and history between generations. As Paul, Gregory preaches the importance of oral history because ‘official history is never the [whole] truth’, and Riot Act feels like a crucial step in the right direction. This production is moving, powerful and essential.
Available here until 28 February 2022
The Reviews Hub Score
Mesmerising
