Lessons On Revolution ★★★★

Of all things one might anticipate seeing at the Fringe, the comeback of the overhead projector might not be at the top of your list. But there it is, the main tool in a myriad of audio visual props, in Untold Theatre’s production, Lessons on Revolution, which comes to the Fringe after celebrated runs at both Hope Theatre and Soho Theatre.

Two flatmates, Gabe Uboldi and Sam Rees (both playing themselves and also the show’s writers) try to establish what radical change means today through the story of a protest staged in 1968 by students at the London School of Economics. The big question explored here is: In this new age of inequality and injustice, can we seek hope from the voices of the past?

The show’s set-up, catwalk style with the audience at either side of the room, allows the two performers to prowl up and down the space, and gifts proceedings a certain pace and intensity. Both trade the narrative between them, rarely taking more than a few lines at a time. Their contrasting styles, Uboldi giving off charming Italian hipster vibes, Rees more of a strident student-union president type, could have been jarring but they make for an engaging double act. This is especially so when they relate the story back to the characters’ own lived experiences.

Frequent audience participation is an unexpected twist to progressing the narrative, but it is deftly handled, largely avoiding the squirming such antics can sometimes induce. Indeed, it actually allows the performers to deliver some well-timed injections of humour. Despite the dark subject matter, levity is in generous supply throughout.

However, a slight whiff of an elaborate university project does hover over proceedings, no matter how clever the dialogue is. While the retelling of a research trip to the library does pay off with an amusing anecdote, time might have been better spent keeping a more compelling narrative going. And a recurring quip about Netflix does rather outstay its welcome.

How much you actually get out of Lessons in Revolution will doubtlessly depend on the degree to which you are invested in its somewhat niche story. But it’s easy to admire a production that is so very winning in both its intent and its execution.