Friday, November 17, 2017
Review: 'Inside Pussy Riot' at the Saatchi Gallery, 16th November 2017
Inside Pussy Riot reviewed by David James
Back in 2012 I protested and fundraised for Pussy Riot during their 2012 trial, at the conclusion of which they were convicted of "hooliganism motivated by religious hatred". I attended meetings at the Royal Court Theatre in which people who'd attended the trial reported their experiences in court and heard the closing statements of the three defendants (Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Ekaterina Samoutsevitch (aka Nadya, Masha and Katya)) performed by actors. Following Nadya and Masha's conviction, I followed the communications from the 'Corrective Labour Camp' and was relieved when they were released early
All this made it extremely surreal to be sat alongside Nadya Tolokonnikova as we processed through a heightened reenactment of her punk prayer protest and subsequent trial and incarceration. This is Inside Pussy Riot, an immersive theatrical experience that tries to educate the audience about what Nadya, Masha and Katya went through and provide a framework on which we can construct our own rebellions.
What the show precisely consists of should remain a mystery. The line between performer and audience is frequently blurred, there's a constant tension on what the show expects from you and nobody knows what is going to be through the next set of doors. It'd spoil the show to explain what's in store, so I'm not going to go into specifics.
What I can say is that there's an uncomfortable tonal friction between the show's DIY punk ideals and its establishment surroundings. The show wears a cloak of feminism, its opening room a perverse mini-cathedral studded with icons of Trump, Farage, Putin and Harvey Weinstein. The show repeatedly makes a point about the importance of free speech and specifically giving women a voice. But I couldn't help but think of that picture of gallery founder Charles Saatchi squeezing Nigella Lawson's throat closed to shut her up. This discontinuity between message and place became an itch I just couldn't scratch.
Worse, Inside Pussy Riot styles itself as political, but communicates only the vaguest political sentiments. You're handed placards with generic 'protest' slogans like "Save the Planet", "Nobody Rules Me but Me" or "Share the World's Wealth" and later encouraged to yell them out loud (this is insanely awkward). It falls flat - but how could it not when there's zero engagement with the ideology that underpins the slogans? The show often feels like the political equivalent of a teenager buying an AC/DC t-shirt from Primark purely because the logo looks kinda cool.
On top of that, playacting the role of a Russian prisoner made me insanely uncomfortable (especially as I was literally sat alongside Nadya, who had experienced this first hand). Maybe that uncomfortableness was the point, but pretending to be a tortured prisoner in a flashy London gallery in one of the richest neighbourhoods in one of the richest cities in the world felt like straight-up misery tourism. This was only compounded in the launch's afterparty, where the shiny happy people of West London's art set quaffed free shots of vodka alongside trays of simulated labour camp food.
Knowing that Nadya Tolokonnikova co-wrote this makes me feel a little better - there is a validity in taking the nightmare inflicted upon you by a repressive state and reforging it into a weapon to retaliate with - but all too often the show strays into plain old camp. For example, you do not particularly feel like you are gaining a real understanding of the horrors of incarceration when a sexy dominatrix prison guard is strutting around calling you "Princess".
Beyond all that, there's a frustrating regimentation to the show. Immersive theatre at its best gives the illusion of barely coordinated chaos. In the best immersive shows I've seen the audience is at least under the impression they're in control and forging their own stories. Here you dutifully troop from room to room, with an actor at one point breaking character and explaining that the show doesn't really work if you disobey the orders. On paper, the show is about going your own way and kicking back against societal norms. In practice Inside Pussy Riot is about doing what you're told, which extends even to the final moments where you're commanded to step forward and perform protest like a dog begging for a treat.
Inside Pussy Riot looks, sounds and acts the part, but peel away the surface and it's entirely hollow. Political theatre really must do better than simply telling us to "stand up for what you believe in".
Inside Pussy Riot is at the Saatchi Gallery until 24 December. Tickets here.
Tags:
immersive theatre ,
les enfants terribles ,
Nadya tolokonnikova ,
Pussy Riot ,
saatchi gallery
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