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★★★★★ Lizzie is the quintessential party girl. She’s 19, she dances in the greatest dance club of all time, the Middlesbrough Empire. She catches the eye of the boys when she dances the ‘Slutty Macarena.’ She hates her rival Danielle who is making a play for her boy, Joe.
When she’s sick after too many tequilas she goes outside to puke. Not like that Chloë who messed up the dance floor when she drank too much.
But there’s a different story behind Lizzie’s excessive partying and addictive self-destructive behaviour; her sister Maggie is ill with Leukaemia. She’s not dying, like, just sick, according to Lizzie whose mam is pissed off because Lizzie hasn’t visited Mags in hospital.
As her sister’s health deteriorates rapidly, this gut-wrenching emotional rollercoaster of a script hammers home the devastating effects of Maggie’s illness on Lizzie and her family. Can Lizzie save her sister with a stem-cell donation? One minute you’re laughing and cheering, the next you’re struggling to hold back the tears.
The Queen of the Empire marks author and performer Sasha Snowden’s Fringe debut. This was powerful stuff. More please!
Reviewed by David Kerr
