The Rise and Fall of the Hamburger Queen
Liverpool-born actress Ashleigh Owen returns to her home town this weekend with her intriguing one-woman show, The Rise and Fall of the Hamburger Queen (or, A Fat Girl's History of Dance).Inspired by her own personal success as the current holder of the title of Hamburger Queen, the show takes on a "parody-come-autobiographic representation of the journey of a larger lady going from rags to riches".This sounds a bit weird and certainly warranted a Google on my part. But it turns out she really is - it is an annual pageant held at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern in London, and genuinely is a rather camp contest of talent, beauty and cookery skills for plus-sized female performers. Owen's talent piece, A Fat Girl's History of Dance, has gone on to form the foundations of this new production.Through comedic characterizations, dance routines, and song, Owen - artistic director and co-founder of Catfish Theatre Company - takes the audience on a journey through her life: from Liverpool to London, from Cottage Chicken to Nandos – storming the Hamburger Queen 2013 competition and reaching the top. Only to realise that fame can come with a price....Catch her at the Lantern theatre this Sunday (December 8).
