Q arts centre: RIOT
RIOT, the all-star, all-Irish smash hit of the 2016 Dublin Fringe Festival and winner of Best Production, is set to make its Melbourne debut in an exhilarating theatrical explosion that will set hearts soaring and pulses racing from 31 January to 9 February 2018 at Arts Centre Melbourne.
Serving up a disorderly cocktail of wild theatre, banging jigs, slapstick comedy and eye-popping circus, this jaw-dropping spectacle will leave audiences dazzled, dizzy and ready to change the world. Infusing the magic of theatre with the excitement of variety and the energy of the dance floor, RIOT broke Dublin Fringe box office records, set social media ablaze and is touring the globe in 2018.
Rooted in the Irish traditions of poetry, oratory, Irish dance and song, then deconstructed using musical, electro, striptease, drag and pop culture, RIOT is a theatrical gut-punch. It is a love letter of hope to the future and a clarion call on the state of the world today.
Leading the stellar cast is Queen of Ireland Panti Bliss, who is well known to Australian audiences. Her 2016 one-womanshow High Heels in Low Places racked up stellar reviews and packed houses in Australia as well as Ireland, UK, Europe and USA. The self-described accidental activist played a major role in the successful referendum campaign for Marriage Equality in Ireland, has authored her memoir Woman In The Making and starred in the 2015 critically acclaimed documentary, The Queen Of Ireland.
“Melbourne is one of my favourite cities in the world and the beautiful Arts Centre Melbourne is one of my favourite venues to perform in, so I'd be excited to return there under any circumstances. But returning there with this wildly talented cast, in this spectacularly entertaining show that we're all so proud of, is almost too much excitement for this old show pony! And then on top of that we get to welcome a different special guest into the cast every night! I may have to lie down till the palpitations pass,” said Panti.
Joining Panti on stage are Street Performance World Champions and unlikely heroes of Britain's Got Talent, The Lords of Strut. These spandex adorned lads are on a mission to change the world with a dose of dance, acrobatics and a big old measure of slapstick. Multi-award winning dance duo Philip Connaughton and Deirdre Griffin roll out some thumping jigs whilst Megan Riordan, the star of the Tony Award winning Once The Musical (Dublin) and Ronan Brady, the Gaelic football player who ran away to join the circus, add to the sensational line up.
Rounding out the cast is Kate Brennan, RIOT'S street corner poet delivering the emotive words and rhymes of Emmet Kirwan including those from Heartbreak, which became an award-winning short film, along with the show's ‘Sirens' vocalists Alma Kelliher, Adam Matthews and Nicola Kavanagh. In addition, a surprise local guest artist will join the cast each night of the season.
Thrilling, uplifting and utterly unique, RIOT is your big summer night out, with a delicious twist. The production comes to Melbourne following a Sydney Festival season (5-28 January).
THISISPOPBABY has toured Australia a number of times presenting the critically lauded (and controversial!) The Year of Magical Wanking and 2013 Melbourne Festival commission WERK as well as several Panti Bliss productions.
Arts Centre Melbourne presents THISISPOPBABY's RIOT 31 January – 9 February 2018 Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne Book at artscentremelbourne.com.au Tickets: Full $65 -$89, $30 Under 30s and Arts Industry tickets are also available.
For more information about Arts Centre Melbourne visit artscentremelbourne.com.au or phone 1300 182 183. Become a fan of Arts Centre Melbourne on Facebook or follow @artscentremelb on Twitter or @artscentremelbourne on Instagram.