Afridiziak has been in the game for 17 years and we love that theatre still leaves us in awe and Lil.Miss.Lady is that show – we’re talking vibes upon vibes.
Presented by High Rise UK and written and directed by Dominic Garfield Lil.Miss.Lady gives the audience a whistle stop tour of the UK’s Grime scene via Lady Lykez aka Lil. Miss. Lady and her life as a trailblazing female MC.
From the get go, the vibrations are high as we absorb this immersive rave within a theatre experience, DJ Rat (Aliaano Elali) gets us in the mood – hyping us up with classic garage, jungle and grime anthems and before we know it, we we’re singing along recalling the tracks that dominated fun nights out with friends.
Our main character Lil.Miss.Lady is navigating the murky waters of the grime scene and all that comes with it – chauvinism, fellow MCs not taking her seriously or taking credit for her work, not being paid or not being paid enough and certainly not being respected. Through her eyes, we see how difficult the music industry is when you’re a woman trying to make a name for yourself amidst all of the male domination.
We loved the special touches such as gifting audience members with a whistle – an essential accompaniment to any rave and of course bottles of water – you gotta keep hydrated when you’re doing a lil two step. Talking of two-step, as it’s a rave within a play, this is an apt promenade theatre experience with the audience following the set around to depict various elements of a typical raving experience.
The whole cast are remarkable DJ Harmony (DJ Kaylee Kay), Blanka (Fahad Shaft), Twist (Joshua Cameron), Hypez (Alexander Lobo Moreno) and Aliaano Elali DJ Rat – in drawing the audience into the show. Lady Lykez is a wicked performer and lyricist, too.
It was super cool having the cast interact with the audience, yours truly even got chirpsed, I’ll have you know but I declined putting my number into his brick phone, ha! Nice move, though. There’s plenty of audience interaction throughout, whether booing any sort of mistreatment of Lil. Miss. Lady or a bit of call and response – all adding to the show’s authenticity.
We also loved the dance off as part of the interval, there’s even a small bar in the auditorium – they’ve got everything covered if you want to go raving without ACTUALLY going to a rave.
And, forget any misconceptions you have about the show’s target audience – I saw a few elders appreciating the performance, too.
The show came to life via a series of interviews with Lioness, Queenie, Baby Blue and Lady Stush. On opening night at Brixton House we were treated to a mini set from Lady Stush which was a fitting curtain call like no other.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – there’s no opening night like a Brixton House opening night.
Gun fingers to everyone involved in Lil.Miss.Lady. I can’t recommend this show enough if you’re up for a unique, fun, edutaining production to escape from it all–this is it!
Related links
Access 2 for £20 tickets here
Need to know:
- Lil. Miss. Lady runs at Brixton House until 19 Jul
- Duration: Approx. 1 hour, 30 minutes.
- Recommended age: 14+
- Access information: This is a standing-only show. If you would like to book accessible seats, please contact our Box Office team on boxoffice@brixtonhouse.co.uk or call 020 7582 7680.
- Content warnings: Strong language and references to violence.
- Production warnings: haze, loud music, smoke effects and strobe lighting.
