Valentina’s Galaxy @ Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

Inspired by the first women in space, Valentina’s Galaxy is oddly constrained but still full of celestial wonder

Live Review by Dominic Corr | 31 May 2019
  • Valentina’s Galaxy @ Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh

Intended for viewers aged around two years old, Valentina’s Galaxy speaks in particular to girls in the audience. Inspired by the first woman in space, Valentina Tereshkova, and the first black woman in space, Mae C. Jemison, Frozen Charlotte’s production introduces kids to the universe with immersive detail and visual splendour.

Astrid is celebrating her birthday when a letter arrives from Nasa. Astrid has more or less given up on her dreams of being an astronaut, but with some gentle encouragement, she is reminded of why this was once her goal. This protaganist is relatable, falling out of love with her childhood passion, but also a tad two-dimensional.

As Astrid, Melanie Jordan engages with the children in the audience, becoming more involved as time progresses. There’s a sense that the production team had a little too much faith in well-behaved viewers – furthermore, it feels a little like information's being flung at the audience, rather than letting us unravel the story ourselves.

With inspiration as poignant as the first female astronauts, much is done to commemorate them. The old banger of a telly in the corner serves to show footage of Tereshkova’s launch and time in space. The set is right out of a 1960s catalogue, but much of the lighting by Gerron Stewart is utilised for tricks and locale changes – kitchen instruments and cupboards double as spacecraft consoles and a plethora of buttons, and a screen in place of a window makes for fluid trasitions from kitchen domesticity to the darkness of space. 

What lets it down slightly is that the design and intent overshadows the story and delivery. Valentina’s Galaxy as a performance is methodical and somewhat constrained, never quite living up to the wackiness of its set.  

A blanket of celestial astonishment canopies the theatre at the end of the production. If nothing onstage has moved you thus far, the sparks of passion on the faces of all those beneath the stars is an embodiment of hope. Valentina’s Galaxy pays homage to the first women in space, while encouraging the next generation of stargazers. This is theatre looking not only to the past but well into the future; it's worth seeing for its rich, magical visuals, even if it could do with some recrafting. 


Valentina’s Galaxy @ Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh, until 1 Jun