Boogie on the Bones | Anatomy Lecture Theatre at Summerhall (Ed Fringe)

Drawing straight from 1955 Moscow, Boogie on the Bones is a political musical that tells of the Stilyagi, an underground youth movement marked by style, American jazz and a sense of hope. Daring to stand against the pervasive air of gloom and order that surrounded them, these rebels adopted the snippets of western culture that could be smuggled in: bold colours, energetic dancing and bootlegged vinyls traced onto discarded x-ray scans.

The musical traces the story of a group of Stilyagi and the efforts of two Komsomol (a state run youth organisation) to catch and make an example of them. Mels, played admirably by Andrii Zamiatin, starts as one of the latter but a string of chance encounters slowly test his resolve and his ways of thinking.

Boogie on the Bones isn’t afraid to hurt its characters, showing the effects of the stifling system and the desperate rebellion: both what each gives and what it forces you to give up. The plot can feel a little forced and hurried at points, covering a lot of ground in an hour with space for dance sequences and explanatory presentations directed at the audience. This does lead to some of the characters feeling a bit flat, and without the space to grow they can feel like archetypes rather than people.

The aforementioned dance and songs are all great at conveying the outlooks and energy of the Stilyagi, contrasting against the conformity shown in the rest of the play. Several of these songs are from bands who are censored in current day Russia, adding a meta layer to the play’s message of art as rebellion and the desire to leave your mark on a place that doesn’t accept you.

withintheatre, the group behind the play, is a team of Slavic performers based in London with backgrounds from across Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. Their work aims to explore what it means to preserve one’s voice and humanity in a system that threatens to stamp them down at every opportunity, whether directly or through the fear of standing out.

Boogie on the Bones’ message comes through loud and clear, showcasing both the romanticism and realities of rebellion alongside the never-ending boot of the system pushing down on its throat. It’s a powerful reminder wrapped in a stylish package, with a message that’s just as relevant now as 70 years ago.

Boogie on the Bones plays at 17:45 at the Anatomy Lecture Hall at Summerhall - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review