REVIEW: LESBIAN SPACE CRIME at Soho Theatre, 6 December – 22 December 2022

‘Utterly joyous theatre experience. Red Dwarf meets the L Word and hangs out with Whose Line Is It Anyway?’ ★★★★

Well, where does one begin with Lesbian Space Crime? Apart from having the best combination of words of any play title since ‘Isadora Duncan Sleeps with the Russian Navy’, Lesbian Space Crime is a wacky, zany and hilarious musical comedy about Susan Albright, played to perfection by Rosanna Suppa, a lesbian astronaut in space, the first no less, who may have… hacked into her soon-to-be ex-wife’s bank account. Based on the real-life story of Anne McClain, Lesbian Space Crime is pure, unadulterated joy from start to finish. Benefiting from a minimalist set and an array of props, it grabs you right from the off with its incredibly catchy opening musical number, going straight into a glorious seventy-five minutes of wonderful silliness. 

And among the silliness, there is an all-too-familiar queer story: being in the closet, being outed and then being in the spotlight. This is Sue’s internal struggle and Suppa navigates it confidently and wisely, never letting it get too dark but knowing which marks to hit. This is all balanced out, however, by the absolutely mad comedy bits, hilarious physical comedy and outrageously catchy tunes (seriously, the title number will get stuck in your head!). Its ensemble cast, comprising Suppa, Eleanor Colville, Elizabeth Chu and Robbie Taylor Hunt, deliver fantastic all-round performances in multiple roles including Chu’s stern NASA boss, and Taylor Hunt’s Technological Wireless Interface for Navigating the Cosmos… or TWINC. The standout performance, however, has to be Colville as Gaia Saffron, the evil ex-wife. Colville’s faultless delivery and knack for character comedy are a total revelation and her mesmerising stage presence is felt throughout.

At its core, Lesbian Space Crime is exactly what it wants to be and has no qualms about it. It is fully self-aware and self-referential, letting us know it is not to be taken too seriously: it is pure fun, and it makes you feel good. And crucially, and despite its theme and underlying message, it doesn’t break our hearts. We feel safe as an audience. We know this is going to make us forget our problems for a while. It is a breath of fresh air and a silly, utterly joyous theatre experience. Red Dwarf meets the L Word and hangs out with Whose Line Is It Anyway? Not to be missed.

LESBIAN CRIME SCENE by Airlock Theatre

Soho Theatre, 6 December – 22 December 2022

Box Office: www.sohotheatre.com/shows/lesbian-space-crime

Reviewer: Carol Saint Martin is a screenwriter, playwright, pop culture blogger, magazine contributor and film host at the Cinema Museum. Her TV pilot DEADLINE, REDFERN CITY and her stage plays have reached the finals of several competitions.