REVIEW: WE PREDICT A RIOT at Etcetera Theatre 4th - 8th August 2025
‘Glorious Nation of Vulgaria’ ★★★
Walking into the theatre the tone is set by the playing of ‘Chu Chi Face’ from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, performed by the characters of Baron and Baroness Bomburst. This is fitting for a show about those in power and the unruly way they govern their dominion. However this show harks back to a film predating this by thirty-five years, the Marx Brothers classic Duck Soup.
Set in our real world but based in the fictional country of Vulgaria the narrative spans sixty-five days of Prime Minister Zadnik and his second in command President MycKyc’s ruling of the nation through the lens of four news reporters. Covering a wide range of contemporary topics from executive orders to the EU the one thing that this play isn’t lacking is commentary for the present. All four performers are strong. Jack Lee brings a phenomenal physicality to a role that requires him seated for the duration. However the stand out performer is Madeleine Devine who brings a nuanced piece of character acting that is understated but effective. The production design works well. A projected screen on the back serves as news footage as well as a day tracker. Perhaps in future iterations the reporters could interact with this element more which would allow a more open staging.
The writing is strong at times. The decision to frame the story over sixty-five days allows for a fast paced unveiling of events. Unfortunately this fast pace is what undoes a lot of the show. Running at just under thirty-five minutes we are introduced to various off stage characters, events, locations and acronyms that are picked up and then quickly dispensed of before we have the time to grasp or retain who they are, not to mention a three hundred day prologue. With so much happening off stage these points need to be memorable and absurd enough to be logged in our minds. This show would benefit from an hour’s runtime to let these moments breathe and be fully grasped.
This satire falls into the Horatian variety in that its critiques are light to the touch. The writing does convey it’s points interestingly enough, however none of those points are very damning to the beliefs and entities it targets. Most mainstream British satire is constrained to be tame due to it being commissioned by such institutions (looking at you ‘Mash Report’). As a fringe show this piece of writing has the opportunity to be a takedown of what is happening around us, rather than a mere commentary.
We Predict a Riot at Etcetera Theatre (part of Camden Fringe)
Dates - August 4th to August 8th
Performers - Stacey Haber, Jack Lee, Madeleine Devine and Danielle Kendler-Rhodes
Box Office Link - https://www.etceteratheatrecamden.com/events/camdenfringecom/events/wepredict-a-riot
Reviewer Jack Elverstone, originally from North Wales, is a playwright with a BA Screenwriting degree from the University of Suffolk. He currently has several projects in the works for stage, screen and radio
