Show name: Queen of the Empire
Performer: Sasha Snowden
Venue: The Space @ Surgeon’s Hall
Running time: 45 minutes
Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5
Reviewer: Jo Sansom
This performance was everything I hoped it would be and so much more.
Sasha Snowden has created an emotional rollercoaster of a solo show that is acted so beautifully that I completely forgot to take notes for large parts of the performance and simply sat, on the edge of my seat, as the main character, Liz, walks the line between avoidance and responsibility, despair and joy, tragedy and hope.
Set between The Empire, a Middlesbrough nightclub and North Eastern institution, and James Cook Hospital, we are brought into the world of ’Boro, where we meet Liz, her friends, her mum and her sister.
Liz marauds onto the stage in a pink vinyl dress, a fur coat and sunglasses and, with a bottle of rosé in hand, begins to tell us about her night out. There have been tactical tequilas, flaky friends, snogs and a lot of vomit! Liz is a loveable yet unreliable narrator (two bottles of rosé will do that to you).
The night starts like any other, but we soon see that Liz’s debauchery is covering for something more painful underneath. As Liz unravels throughout the night, the pain she’s been running from eventually catches up with her, and she is forced to face her fears in the A&E department of James Cook Hospital.
A family illness can no longer go ignored, and Liz must make a choice: escape back to the Empire or take the lift upstairs in the hospital. She is desperate for one more messy night out in ’Boro to make it all go away… but pain never really goes away; it just changes shape.
As Liz’s mum desperately tries to bring Liz back to reality, the practicalities of dealing with both illness and addiction create tension and test family bonds. Without the softening effects of alcohol, Liz finally has to confront the sharp edges of loss.
The show squeezes so much into its 45-minute running time. Wild nights turn to worried days and end in a tentative hopefulness, with each change of pace feeling like a brilliant, although devastating, punch to the gut. Even more so once you know that this show was created from the depths of personal loss in Sasha’s own family. The piece acts as a beautiful dedication to anyone dealing with family illness and the complexities of grief.
Sasha’s voice work is next level; the way she moves between the different characters is seamless.
She is so adept at engaging the audience with eye contact and audience participation. By the time she has taught us all the “slutty Macarena”, she has got us firmly on side!
The sharp contrast between the noise and energy of the Empire and the quiet intensity of the hospital is played out brilliantly. Sasha’s commitment to the emotion of the hospital scenes displays so much talent and had the audience ugly crying at 11am!
Due to a successful run and rave reviews, Sasha has now had the show extended and upgraded to a bigger, 90-seat theatre. You will be able to see Queen of the Empire from 24th–29th August at The Space @ Triplex.
And I really recommend you do. Between the smart script and the touching delivery, this show is worth getting up early for.
This may be her first show at the Fringe, but I can guarantee that it won’t be her last.
After sobbing at this show on a Friday morning, I left looking like I’d just been kicked out of the doors of the Empire: unsteady on my feet and with mascara running down my cheeks!
Liz would’ve been proud.
