Final Queen - Edinburgh Fringe Review

Review by Aimee and Mark

Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review.

Final Queen is a gloriously unhinged, sequin-soaked collision of drag, circus, and horror that easily ranks among the most original hours at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. Harrison Sweeney’s drag alter-ego, Grace Lightning, explodes onto the stage with a high-octane performance immediately strapping the audience in for a riotous Outback road trip.

The premise is delightfully camp: Grace and her two drag besties, Jazz and Kerry, get the call of a lifetime to audition as Kylie Minogue's backup dancers. Unable to fly, they embark on a cross-country drive through the Australian wilderness. What begins as a classic road-trip narrative quickly spirals into a queer horror B-movie. The trio encounters everything from Tinder creeps and bigoted creatures to a chainsaw-wielding maniac and a fiercely territorial haunted house.

Photo by Anais Stewart

What elevates the show from a standard drag comedy is Sweeney’s jaw-dropping physicality. Seamlessly weaving powerful acrobatics and hula-hooping into the narrative, the circus elements never feel like cheap gimmicks. Whether Grace is exorcising a tortured spirit to Lady Gaga’s "Abracadabra" or engaged in a deeply silly physical battle with a piece of blue fabric playing a ghost, the execution is tight and relentless. Sweeney masters the art of playing multiple characters simply by hoisting different wigs into the air, lip-syncing for his life to a soundtrack of modern and classic divas like Madonna, Dusty Springfield, and Kylie herself.

Lighting and sound are remarkably precise for a Fringe debut, utilising an empty stage to become a playground for the slasher-film aesthetic. When the cast is inevitably ambushed by the Outback's wild killers, the technical elements compound the chaos into a genuinely thrilling climax. 

Photo by Anais Stewart

You are completely hooked by Lightning's personality, or multiple of them. It's an ingenious piece of writing between Lightning and Rachel Kerry, and one that is a sheer thrill to watch as it unfolds. Final Queen is a chaotic queer joy. Serving a masterclass in tone, balancing genuine tension with laugh-out-loud audience interaction and flawless physical theatre. Final Queen is an absolute tour-de-force; a bloody, campy, and completely unforgettable Fringe hour.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Final Queen runs at Underbelly, Cowgate - Big Belly until Sunday 30th August 2026. For tickets visit https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/final-queen