PUSSY RIOT — Riot Act
The Attic – RCC Fringe Feb 27th 2019 – 8PM
Review by GARY CLARKE 5 STARS
“Planned Leaping and Hopping” was the description one church employee gave at the trial of Pussy Riot activists. This referred to the now infamous 40 second “Punk Prayer” protest event in Moscow’s pre-eminent Orthodox Cathedral of Christ The Saviour that day in August 2012. An event that epitomised the movement that challenged Putin’s grip on power. “Non Conformity in The Eye of Conformity”. And we were treated to plenty of planned leaping and hopping, air punching, dancing and hard core, high energy protest music in The Attic.
This show featured not 3 but 4 of the original members of Pussy Riot in a 6 piece band . Using multi media including a backdrop of archival footage, visual effects , music, theatre, dance, song and spoken/shouted word /chant. The whole explosive performance evoked Masha Alyokhina’s prison memoirs. All this delivered at a blistering pace. Pussy Riot were taking no prisoners! The enraptured audience of 150 were fired up on a hot and balmy Adelaide night.
This feisty Russian protest art collective, as they have been described, haven’t backed down an inch since those heady days of 2012 despite the Russian State’s efforts to neuter them. They are even more potent today as a result and that is reflected in their commitment to a better tomorrow. More power to their arm I say.
This was also a rare opportunity to purchase their “merch” in the form of signed Pussy Riot T-shirts and copies of Masha’ memoirs that the performance was based upon. This night the lines stretched three deep the length of the balcony. Many were stocking up on multiple copies of the book and several T shirts. A large portion of the profits were going to support political prisoners.
A raunchy, driving, potent, display and a rare opportunity to catch a piece of history unfolding. Catch it now and you wont regret it and you can say “I was there”
Review by Gary Clarke 5 stars
Riot Days merges punk, electronica, theater, documentary footage and protest.
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