Queen of Spades Review

Emilie Lauren Jones’s Fringe show Queen of Spades addresses the alternate-universe challenges of growing up neurodivergent, gaining self-knowledge the hard way and trying to find an identity that fits. Through a flowing narrative that segues seamlessly in and out of poetry, she draws the audience into her world and leads them on a funny, quirky and poignant escapade through her unconventional life-story. Starting in a present that blends real-world experiences with wild whimsy – arriving late at the venue due to brain fog… or maybe because of an odd encounter with a dinosaur or long-dead relative – we delve back into an awkward childhood of misunderstood games and desperate worries, then are propelled forward again to adulthood - via Love Island, fancying footballers and desperately unsuccessful dates.  

With an anthropologist’s eye and a surrealist’s mind, Emilie sets out to study the human species from an outsider’s point of view, not least its endless fascination with dating rituals. Channelling her inner David Attenborough (and roping in a semi-willing audience member and a bizarre dinner-companion) she attempts to establish what ‘normal’ may actually mean for somebody who ‘doesn’t exist.’ ‘I looked myself up online,’ she says, searching for an evolutionary perspective, or at least a label that might help to make sense of it all. The quest for identity, culminating in revelations about trees, woolly jumpers and the moon, is beautifully summed up in perhaps the finest of all the poems in the show. No spoilers – let’s just say that I never expected to find an oversized spoon so gorgeously symbolic or emotionally affecting. I will be using mine to scoop stars at every opportunity from now on.

As a debut performance, this show was as confidently-delivered as you could wish for, with clear direction, entertaining use of props and warm interaction with the full-house audience.  Emilie Lauren Jones has a quaint style of self-presentation but make no mistake – her take on the world is as incisive as it is idiosyncratic, her writing as purposeful as it is playful. Through her witty tale of the trials and tribulations of ‘differentness,’ she emerges as a seriously talented wordsmith and an accomplished performer with a subtle but powerful message about understanding and inclusivity. Queen of Spades fully deserved the success achieved in this first airing. Watch out for future performances – this show is not to be missed.

Morgan Birch