Review by Eve Nugent
Performing to a sold-out cave in Cabaret Voltaire, the magnificent Ria Lina makes a triumphant return to the Edinburgh Fringe at long last with Riabellion – a sharp, exceptionally polished hour of comedy that dares to tackle provocative topics with balance and wit.
Bursting onto stage with vibrant energy, her name blazing across her vest and her funky rainbow-dyed hair, Lina immediately establishes a palpable charm. Whilst sharing a plethora of well-crafted anecdotes from her intriguing life, she is remarkably spontaneous and natural, weaving down the aisle for a chat and engaging closely with the audience.
Such relatability and warmth is her strength – from wry reflections on age, marriage and divorce to entertaining takes on feminism and perimenopause, Lina delivers it all with sass and self-deprecating flair. Her unusual living situation is brilliantly brought to life: house-sharing with her ex-husband and their three hormonal teenagers proves to be hilarious. Equally, her astute observations on “classic Asian parenting”, cleverly juxtaposed with the “overly lenient” parents of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, are both creative and original.
Lina is equally incisive when confronting racism, a common thread throughout the set, turning an outrageous comment made to her on a plane into a springboard for humour – she continuously dissects the quirks of British society, from the overly obsessive class system to the oddities of the Royal Family. Despite the freshness of these takes, she never oversteps and manages to balance criticism with great sympathy.
The hour of genuine laughter flies by far too quickly. Throughout, Riabellion also maintains a strong narrative thread, underpinned by excellent storytelling skills and an infectious passion – the result is a show that feels cohesive, intelligent and brimming with personality.
Cohesive and Brims with Personality
Ria Lina: Riabellion runs at Monkey Barrel
Running time: Sixty minutes without interval
Review by Eve Nugent (contact@corrblimey.uk)
An undergraduate French student at the University of Edinburgh, Eve has a diverse interest in theatre and performance. Her primary devotion is acting, predominantly at Bedlam Theatre with her fellow students, but also with French group ‘Les Escogriffes’ who perform annually at the French Institute of Scotland.
Her creative attention stretches also to classical music, as she enjoys playing the flute, piano and guitar. She thus looks forward to watching whatever the Fringe has to offer, irrespective of genre!
