Durham Fringe Festival 2025
Untamed
Menstrual Rage Theatre Company
Genre: Comedic, Comedy, Theatre
Venue: Palace Green Stretch Tent
Festival: Durham Fringe Festival
Low Down
‘“There is no beast, no rush of fire like women so untamed” War is raging on, the men are out of control, what are the women of Greece to do? Seize power the only way they can, by inciting a sexual revolution. What we really need is a Femininominom. Based on the Greek Comedy ‘Lysistrata’, UNTAMED is a bawdy, fierce, historical romp guaranteed to leave you wanting more.”‘
Review
Menstrual Rage Theatre Company returns to Durham Fringe with their signature approach: politically direct, physically sharp and totally unfiltered. This time they take on Lysistrata, the ancient Greek play in which women, led by the title character, withhold sex in order to force an end to war. The strategy is coordinated across city states, unsettling male authority and turning private relationships into sites of public resistance. In this version, the classic frame is respected, but it is wrapped in modern idiom, comic excess and theatrical boldness.
The play remains comic on the surface but the questions it raises are serious. What does it mean to use sexual power as protest? What happens when persuasion becomes refusal? The women act with purpose, holding their ground and pushing back against the priorities of the men. The play does not sentimentalise their actions. It shows their anger, their strategy and their unity.
The cast is clearly enjoying the material and that energy comes through. There is a feeling of parody here, but it is contained. Playing the men, the performers drift from character to caricature and it works. The men are shown up, exaggerated and made ridiculous. They do not come off well, and that seems entirely the point.
This is classic Menstrual Rage. Their feminist grounding is apparent throughout. They do not tone anything down. They do not shy away from confrontation. Their work centres female and non binary voices and it does so without apology. Dialogue is sharp. Humour is dark. Physicality is turned up high. The clarity of their intention runs right through the piece.
The production builds gradually. It takes a few minutes to get into gear, but once it does, it moves with speed and confidence. Some early sections suffer from uneven volume and clarity, and there are moments where pacing could be tightened. Yet the core of the performance is strong. Once rhythm is found, the production motors.
Venue One at Durham Fringe is an outdoor space and the performance suits it well. Costumes are exaggerated enough to feel comic, but not so far that they lose all connection with the world of the original play. There is a sense that we are still in ancient Greece, even as the language and delivery bring us into a more modern register.
The physical comedy is loud and unashamed. There are plenty of visual gags and some moments that lean into the potty mouthed, but there is always a reason for the excess. The important props are best discovered during the show itself. The staging plays with space well. Movement across the performance area is coordinated and purposeful. The ensemble works together with timing that is tight enough to give the chaos structure.
Compared to the company’s 2024 production, this piece feels a little less chaotic. If anything has been turned down, it is the manic energy. But that makes space for more narrative shape and a stronger connection to the original story. The message is still loud. The style is still brash. But there is slightly more room for character and story to settle.
The play ends in under an hour with the key elements of the original text intact. Nothing essential has been lost. The message is clear. The performance is honest. Audience response is vocal and immediate. There is no polite clapping. People cheer, laugh, lean in and enjoy.
Menstrual Rage Theatre Company takes risks, but they do not discard what matters. They play with the original text but do not break it in ways that undermine the intentions and style of Aristophanes. That balance lets them be inventive without falling into mockery. For purists, this might feel provocative. For most, it is a vivid and satisfying retelling of a story that remains relevant and important.
The women withhold what the men desire most. They protest with their bodies. They challenge leadership that has not been earned. The result is unpolished, energetic and fully grounded in the moment. The strike remains. The war is left hanging. The women are most definitely on top.
