My overall impression
Another great Fringe showing from Will Play for Food, Riot Grrrl Saves the World will be a hard one for a lot of people to describe accurately, but I would like to give it my best shot: referencing this show to any of the films dedicated to a punk-rock upbringing doesn’t really do it justice, as this play out-punks the lot of them. The setting is as stripped-down and raw as a dive-bar venue and the play focuses tightly on it’s stars. This not only props up the “this is who we are” punk ethos that is so well represented here, but is a great chance for the incredibly talented cast to shine.
Though all of the performances are strong, Zoe Lillian and Emma Servant stand out amongst the four, with Lillian giving an absolutely convincing performance as a young woman who, despite having a decent handle on who she is, is rocked by the discovery of how the rest of the world works. Servant, on the other hand, is a perfectly effective punk rock prophet, laying her soul open and commanding the audience and the girls around her to follow while still managing to protect herself cautiously against the savage outside world.
Louisa Hill sets up a terrifically engaging story that perfectly captures a moment in time and the friendships and loves that are developing between these young women, never taking things to a place that feels forced or unrealistic but still somehow keeping things totally compelling and engaging from start to finish. The closest thing to a complaint I can manage about this wonderful show is that it ends very abruptly, though within the context of the action it makes complete sense as to why. I highly recommend checking out and supporting this excellent show and giving Will Play for Food the opportunity to put out more excellent theatre in the future.
