As with everything in the world, there is always a moment in history that defines and marks the beginning of change. With regards to Alexis Gregory’s one man show Riot Act, we are told three stories surrounding the rise of the LGBTQ+ rights movement, experiencing emotions of rage, anger, frustration, happiness, freedom, and strength. 

The dialogue from this performance has been taken from interviews with three people: Michael-Anthony Nozzi, a survivor of the Stonewall riots in 1969; Lavinia Co-op, an alternative drag artist from the 1970s; and Paul Burston, an AIDS activist from the 1990s. The verbatim style of this performance is interesting because it reminds audiences that these are real people, and that their experiences are far from fictional. This performance is heavily political and exposes the abusive and violent attitudes towards queer people in the 60s and beyond. 

Though we are all aware of how much suffering has been caused as a result of prejudice towards certain groups of people, it is performances like this that make the true difference in how these stories are told. Hearsay and he said, she said transitions into physical reality that we watch with our own eyes. The desire for these characters – reminder, they are the words of real people - to get this story out there and ‘tell the truth’ is actually disheartening because it means that it is not spoken about enough. Before this performance came my way, I was not aware of the event of the Stonewall Riots for example, and yet it was such a brutal and violent struggle in which many queer people were physically beaten and abused. Surely it deserves a place in our school history lessons, don’t you think Besties?

The way this filmed version has been created is interesting. It takes the form of a one-man show, almost like an intimate stand-up format, whereby we are the audience to one man. However we are not watching one character, we actually end up watching three. The incredibly talented Alexis Gregory embodies these three characters with such honesty and authenticity. Though there are moments of heightened vocality and characterisation, and an occasional addition of humorous flamboyancy, the performance remains truthful throughout and at no point does it become unbelievable. And, I suppose, that makes the performance so emotional – because we soon learn that it is the truth. 

Because of the digital recorded aspect, the idea of having someone talk to you and only you from behind a camera can be daunting - you are acutely aware of the intimacy and immediacy of the story at all times. For Riot Act, this could be seen as an exciting element or an intimidating one - perhaps, Besties, it is both. As an audience, maybe we are supposed to be excited and intimidated by this actor and how honestly he portrays each individual character in this story of queer history and discovery. 

Overall, this performance is an emotive and truly haunting story of the struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community over the years but is also a celebration of queer activism and liberation across the decades. 

It is an active reminder, Besties, to make sure you know your history. Though we learn of the political wars between countries, it is also important to learn of the wars between people, born from judgement and prejudice. They are just as important. 

*** Three stars

Reviewed by: Megan Webb

Riot Act remains available to stream until 28 February here.