RIOT at Arts Centre Melbourne - Review

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Posted 2018-02-01 by Jen ⇒ follow

Wed 31 Jan 2018 - Fri 09 Feb 2018

Making its Melbourne debut, RIOT is an all-star, all-Irish smash hit of the 2016 Dublin Fringe Festival and winner of Best Production. Queen of Ireland Panti Bliss , gay rights activist and drag queen, leads the stellar cast (Emmet Kirwan, Lords of Strut, Up & Over It,
Ronan Brady, Alma Kelliher, Adam Matthews, Nicky Kavanagh & Megan Riordan) of this show that's rooted in Irish traditions, then deconstructed and injected with musical, electro, striptease, drag and pop culture. Each night. a different special guest is welcomed into the cast to perform.

Get your Tickets now, as performances only run till 9 Feb 2018 at the Fairfax Theatre , Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kida Rd, Melbourne. All shows over the next 9 days are in the evening and start between 5pm to 9.15pm on various dates with the majority at 7.30pm. It's a 90 minute show with no interval. In such an intimate 376-seat theatre, there's no wrong seat, everyone has a great vantage point, so buy confidently. Given permission by Panti Bliss, we were allowed to take pictures as long as it wasn't a video, or taken with a flash. If posting to social media, tag #riottheshow .

RIOT is brought to you by THISISPOPBABY , a theatre and events production company. Created and directed by Jennifer Jennings and Phillip McMahon, the lighting design by Mark Galione was flawless. The sound was also fantastic until some technical issues developed during the performance of the guest artist and flared in the next solo act. However, it was quickly sorted within minutes and a lot has to be said for the performer who didn't let her professionalism slip and continued to perform as if nothing had happened. There is no doubt that desk has been given a good talking to about its opening night performance, and will be spot-on for the rest of the shows.

The said guest of the night was Mojo Juju aka Mojo 'Juju' Ruiz de Luzuriaga, an Australian singer-songwriter and guitarist who performed her amazing song with flawless vocals. Mojo Juju is about to release her new single 'Think Twice' on the 1st of August and to mark the release of this momentous occasion, she's taking her live show on the road.

RIOT, from beginning to end, is injected with such a variety of performances that include some serious political, gut-punching spoken word (flawlessly delivered), slapstick comedy, tap dancing, a bit of circus, and more. It's been called a roulette of the brilliant, brazen and downright bizarre. Not taking away from any of this amazing show, for me, Lords of Strut were the standout performers of the night,

They had everyone running through a range of emotions from amusement to laughing out loud, with a smile on their faces throughout their performances. From the eye-popping mankini made of glad wrap, to putting a bottom through the hoop and flogging Jesus, they were brilliant! They were so darn cute - I wanted to bottle them and take them home.

Panti herself is not your everyday drag queen. She's eye-catching and stunning with her trim taut figure, red high heel shoes and leather dress that's perfectly draped over a statuesque figure. Rory O'Neil, the male alter ego/creator behind this outspoken Irish diva delivers both the serious and the comic in her performances with professional aplomb and talks about her obsession with Farrah F***ing Fawcett amongst other subjects.

Be it the slapstick delivered by spandex adorned lads, balloon adorned thumping jigs, street corner poet delivering emotive words and rhymes, amazing vocalists in pinstripes, or a graceful musclebound aerialist who strips down while flying through the air that grabs your attention, this is the perfect night out, so treat yourself, because you're worth it. A night of non-stop entertainment that keeps you fully engaged and feeling good. Don't miss it!