RIOT
The Wardrobe Ensemble,Bristol
Zoo Roxy Venue 115
TIMING is everything. The producers of the production could not have imagined that riots inLondonand other English cities would be the top item in the news just as Riot opened inEdinburgh. Whether this boosted the audience or not is hard to say but the players performed to a full house.
This entertaining story is based on the events inEdmonton, northLondonin 2005, the year of the Crazy Frog, when a riot broke out at the midnight opening of a new outlet of a large Swedish furniture company. You know the one; lots of blue and yellow.
The lure of sofas for £45 on the opening night drew enormous crowds. People fought over items as inexperienced staff and overwhelmed police failed to cope with unexpected numbers.
The players capture the absurdity of the whole affair in a tight script that has lots of laugh-out-loud lines. Gin (like the drink), the nervous supervisor tries to warn his boss that things might get out of hand. She is full of New Age crap so she doesn’t want to hear any ‘negativity’. She sacks Gin and orders the doors opened to let everyone in at once rather than in stages. Big mistake! Mayhem takes over.
The flawless action is tightly choreographed with simple props of Ik** lights, folding chairs and a hanging wardrobe. Some of this was sheer genius. Who would have thought that two unfolded chairs could function as shaking doors holding back an angry mob?
Riot is one of the highlights of the Fringe. Book now and you won’t have to beat the doors down to get in.
***** Five Stars
Counter Culture 
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