Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again.
Rating: ★★★
Venue: Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond 
Cast: Olive McHugh, Tanaka Mpofu, Xixi Xiao and Natalia May

Revolutionize the language. Revolutionize the world. Revolutionize the work. Revolutionize the body. Galvanise. A searing, funny and profound examination of what it means to be a woman performed by one ensemble across a range of scenarios and written by the sublime Alice Birch.

Welcome to our post-apocalyptic world where we reimagine the previous rules and conventions that brought our society to an end. 

This play is part of the Greenhouse Festival, which is showcasing seven different shows, currently at the Orange Tree Theatre and what a beautiful, intimate theatre it is. This play is just over an hour long and is set on the lower floor level, whereby the stage is essentially the floor littered with a few props for the play. 

Alice Birch’s play is certainly not for everyone. I feel as though you really have to be open-minded and not shy away from the topics that are presented. The play is a series of fragmented scenes that seeks to confront ideas around sexuality, gender, female empowerment and female subjugation, and the all-female cast did not shy away from embracing the uncomfortable nature of these themes.

While the performances from the four females, (Natalia May, Olive McHugh, Tanaka Mpofu and Xixi Xiao) were sensational and so engaging, I did find myself struggling to follow the different stories. I understood what they were trying to do, I just found some of the information was lost in translation. However, I can't fault the passion these four incredibly talented females brought to that stage.

Tanaka Mpofu's performance really stood out for me, I found myself slightly intoxicated by the way she spoke, moved and what an stunning singing voice she had. She had that power and presence to keep me captivated in my seat.

The play was funny but before it allows the audience to settle into a comfortable place, it turns the tables and forces them to question why what they are seeing is actually humorous. However, there are parts the audience were laughing at which I don't think was the intended reaction and the seriousness was missed because at times, it comes across more like a comedy piece, rather than a thought-provoking one.

The final part of the play, with just the women on stage contemplating the eradication of men was moving and asked the audience to join in by shouting “my choice” but this for me didn’t really offer any solution to the questions posed throughout the play. It is a bittersweet and powerful moment, begging you not to just passively accept, but to question, listen and react and I think to provide the audience with the space to question how they engage personally and socially with sexism, feminism, misogyny and power.

You can find out more about this production of Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., here.

Review by Sarah