Riot

This cosy venue offers a warm and welcoming invitation into the deepest, darkest nooks and crannies of the anarchical disposition of the play’s central character, Jim (Johnathan Peck). Peck’s skilful portrayal of a combination of impish playfulness and explosive temperament takes the audience on a spiralling journey into the razor sharp, and sometimes dangerous, edge of his existence.

Jim is both loved and reviled by those who surround him; Janette (Caitlin Berwick) expresses a palpable exasperation with his social angst and Kate (Stephanie Valenzuela) is jaded by his irresponsible antics.

However, it is the arrival of Gavin (Gareth Trew) into Jim’s life that really throws him into psychological turmoil. Trew captures an insecurity in Gavin that exudes an underlying and enticing anguish and despair. Lola (Jennifer B Ashley), played artfully as a cool seductress, only pushes Jim closer to a truth that he struggles to comprehend.

The tumultuous emotional journey is a profound one and sometimes requires greater motivation and exploration than the text is willing to provide.

The space is rendered wonderfully theatrical while retaining a homeliness that easily lends itself to the probing of Jim’s troubled mind. The alluring examination of such private spheres is so incisive it sometimes feels strangely intrusive. 

Patricia Di Risio

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