My overall impression
Originally posted on Bitter Lemons: “Fringe Femmes” | “Riot Grrrl Saves the World (or, The Zine of Grrl)” by Louisa Hill |
Man. To some of us, 1992 doesn’t seem that long ago. But I’d guess that even for those who were in diapers (or not even?) then, Louisa Hill’s exploration of the Riot Grrrl post-punk, third-wave feminism music and zine movement that began the ’80s and ’90s could not be more fun and fresh.
So in Riot Grrrl Saves the World it’s (kinda) 1992 and not only do we find three teens (Zoë Lillian, Emma Servant and Tiffany Mo) grrrling up for action, empowerment and self-discovery while putting together a garage band, but also an outsider (Poonam Basu) who finds them while distributing Jehovah’s Witness materials about the end of the world – the imminent end. Prophet says it’s all over.
Director Scott Marden gives this world premiere a truly bang-up production, even with scrappy, portable Fringe considerations. Kudos to the fabulous use of zine graphics, Dana Leigh Lyman’s costuming touches (pull out those Doc Martens, kids), and the painfully passionate songs (Diego Davidenko), performed live. The actors are vibrant and Hill’s smart, smart writing is clear and immediate, if a bit too breezy at times. Hill’s found a terrific way into big issues with a personal story, but seems to still be working on the balance between entitled teen angst and real substance. But it’s all in there, waiting for her to go deeper. We want her to. That’s how the world will be saved, after all.
