Drinking, dancing and debauchery – just another night at The Middlesbrough Empire! And Lizzie, Boro’s resident party girl, loves nothing more than a wild night out. But behind the dresses, drunks and drama, her family fractures under the weight of a devastating illness. When Lizzie is ultimately forced to face her reality, is it all too late?
Queen of the Empire is a tale of grief, addiction and what it means to be a sister. Darkly entertaining and based on a true story, Sasha Snowdon’s Fringe debut promises laughter, complexity and, of course, a cheeky little dance.
Often with the Fringe, a show I want to review is on at exactly the same time as about a hundred others. It means that, however much I try, some productions inevitably get missed. Luckily, this particular show was on at 10.40 in the morning, which made fitting it into the schedule much easier. Partying in Middlesbrough before lunchtime? Why not?
As an audience, we were thrown straight into the action. There was no lengthy introduction or dialogue designed to slowly build up a picture. Instead, we were immediately transported into Lizzie’s world and the partying began.
I may not need to go to Middlesbrough for a night out, because Sasha Snowdon brought the Middlesbrough night out directly to me at Edinburgh Fringe. There was drinking, dancing, characters and chaos, and within a very short space of time we understood the world Lizzie inhabited.
But beneath that lively exterior, Queen of the Empire has something considerably more serious to say.
Sasha’s performance was superb throughout this production. She managed to take something that could initially feel loud, funny and chaotic and gradually reveal the much more painful story underneath. The contrast worked particularly well because the humour never felt as though it was competing with the more emotional material. Instead, it made those quieter and more difficult moments hit even harder.
There were times when I genuinely felt as though I needed a tissue to stop those tears. This was pure heartfelt theatre, and because of the nature of the performance, it also felt incredibly intimate. There is nowhere for a performer to hide with material like this, particularly when it is based on a true story, and Sasha allowed the vulnerability behind the story to come through.
The pacing of the production was also handled very well. There wasn’t a moment when I felt bored or that the story had started to drag. Scenes changed fairly regularly, keeping the production moving and sustaining my interest throughout. Those changes also allowed us to see different sides of Lizzie and the people around her rather than simply watching one emotional journey unfold in a straight line.
Importantly, Queen of the Empire also raises awareness of blood cancer and the national donor register. It gives the production a purpose beyond simply telling its story. The subject matter is serious, but the show doesn’t feel like a lecture or an awareness campaign disguised as theatre. The message comes naturally through the characters and the experiences we witness.
At its heart, this is a story about family, grief, addiction and sisterhood. It’s about what happens when the partying stops and reality can no longer be avoided. Sasha brings those different elements together while still allowing the production to have humour, personality and plenty of life.
It was a well put together production, and Sasha brought the characters to life with warmth, energy and emotion. What particularly worked for me was that the production delivered exactly what its synopsis promised. We got the laughter, the complexity, the darker moments and yes, we even got that cheeky little dance.
Queen of the Empire knows the story it wants to tell and tells it with heart.
Very easily a 4-star show.
★★★★
Heartfelt, intimate and incredibly moving
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