Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Lesbian Space Crime
Airlock Theatre
Genre: Comedy, LGBTQ+, Musical Theatre, Theatre
Venue: Pleasance Dome
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Campy, glitzy, and very, very silly, the talented cast of Lesbian Space Crime deliver a rollicking good time, even if the quality of jokes is variable and probably won’t be to everyone’s taste.
Review
Space laser! Big Red Sucky Button! Chekhov’s Gun!
And that’s just what’s painted on the backdrop.
Lesbian Space Crime is a camp, disco-energy farce that takes on working-mom guilt, corporate rainbow-washing, NASA sexism, and, uh, crazy exes. Closeted self-described “big lezzer” Susan Albright (Rosanna Suppa) – whom, we are assured for legal reasons, is not based a real person (<cough> astronaut Anne McClain <cough>) – is poised to make history in the first all-female spacewalk. Unfortunately, she’s been accused of space-lasering her ex-wife’s conservatory, and clearing her name might land her in hot water with the homophobic space agency. Going to Earth to try to put things right with her evil ex (Eleanor Colville) means she could also attend a recital that her strangely large son (Robbie Taylor Hunt) is in. But, that would mean missing the space walk…
Yes, it’s goofy. But is it funny? The fact that the “Chekhov’s Gun” on the aforementioned backdrop never actually makes any appearance in the story or is ever referred to tells you everything you need to know.
Actually, it doesn’t: that’s one of the better jokes. The humour here is rarely that subtle. More often, it involves a lot of mincing, mugging, jokes that arguably either make fun of gay stereotypes or reinforce them, and, for my taste, an unpleasant amount of comic violence: there’s a lot of slap in that schtick.
But, yes: it is indisputably fun, even if not often – for me, at least – laugh-out-loud funny. All three performers have outsized charisma and good acting chops, which is especially evident in the multiple roles that Colville and Taylor Hunt play.
Also, there are songs. Some of them are extremely catchy, and all are well sung. You might, however, want to ask yourself, before you go in, how you feel about someone trying to rhyme “Aquarius” with “Taurus,” if you’re sensitive to such things.
The story gets increasingly bizarre as it plays out, and there’s an extended frenzied sequence near the end that gets a little too much for me, especially in conjunction with a sudden welter of Star Wars references.
Serious bits do creep in, usually attached to some of the better barbs. Satire and social commentary don’t comprise a large part of the gags here, but, when they do, they’re excellent.
Farce doesn’t have to skimp on emotion or depth, of course, but you will look in vain for it here – somewhat frustratingly, as these are very talented performers who are clearly capable of more than amiable space-fluff. But if you’re after some undemanding entertainment and hopefully a few laughs, Lesbian Space Crime is a solid option.
