SONG OF RIOTS

http://www.ayoungertheatre.com/

Entering the relatively small theatre at the Battersea Arts Centre and the action has already begun: four men dressed in what looks like school gym kits play-fight boyishly on stage as the sold-out seats fill up progressively, leaving most wondering whether the scene is improvised or choreographed. I applaud the energy levels of the actors on stage – there’s a good ten minutes of high-energy lifts, dodges and tackles in this interesting introduction.

Song of Riots is a play that explores themes of childhood and maturity, using the poetry of William Blake as a running motif throughout the story. What I did understand: two teenage boys leave the comfort of their homes and parents to get into the city and acquire their freedom; one of them is the son of a Polish immigrant. What I didn’t understand: the other is a prince from a fairy tale. There was a lot of reference to kings and princes and royalty, but I just didn’t get that the plot was going to be quite that literal. Nevertheless, though in places difficult to understand, I enjoyed the performance and the messages it displayed.

Directors Christopher Siversten and Lucy Maycock made interesting use of a translucent sheet to separate the backstage area with the frontal region of upmost audience attention. Attached to a tall scaffold structure, the sheet gave the actors room to continue the action backstage whilst creating harmony with what was happening on stage. Nimble actors climbed around the structure and appeared from the top to add height to the performance, which made fast-paced scenes unpredictable and engaging.

Behind the translucent sheet Hanna Björck took both a narrative and musical role by guiding us through the plot with sung Blake poems and musical interludes, giving Song of Riots a sense of flow. The musical element to the performance gave it a semi-mythical feel, which when juxtaposed with the foul-mouthed shouting of Lucasz (Christopher Finnegan) provided the audience with a contrast between the sublime and the real.

My favourite scene from the play
Watch the full trailer for Song of Riots https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHy5kbAXd0o

 Prop use was kept to quite a minimum, and a truly Brechtian style was adopted when characters stripped right down to change their costume on the side of the stage. Anna Krotoska played a highly convincing role as Polish mother Magda, a kind woman mistreated by her adolescent son. But my favourite moment was definitely when the male characters all had a movement sequence in which they threw cups of powder paint over each other, creating a cloud of colour that hovered above the action.

Song of Riots is a play which demonstrates some scenes of true directorial ingenious and creativity. The plot is somewhat difficult to follow, but the fusion of physical theatre with lyrical narrative makes it highly original. ★★★☆☆