Edinburgh Fringe Review – Party Girl

Glitter, resentment and ‘mommy issues’; Party Girl tells the story of Fairy Sprinkles, a children’s party entertainer, as she navigates through class and family discrepancies. Making the journey from Australia, the rock ‘n’ roll monologue-slash-musical is based on writer Lucy Heffernan’s time as a party fairy. Phoebe Bakker reviews Party Girl at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024. 

Edinburgh Fringe Review: Party Girl

At its crux, this is a production about faith. How do you get others – namely, in this case, children – to believe in you when you no longer believe in yourself? Fairy Sprinkles, a kids’ party entertainer, becomes a beacon of light for the next generation, in spite of her own darker childhood, in a dazzling show by Lucy Heffernan. It’s within this contradiction that the magic of this Edinburgh fringe show sits. 

Through a gig theatre set up viewers are invited to join Lucy – aka Fairy Sprinkles aka a party fairy to learn the trade first hand and what it means to be a party entertainer. We are taken on a journey of each party sprinkles goes to and introduced to the many rules of the trade – such as don’t ever let them know your name (we are never given the characters name either). We watch as she struggles with class disparity at some of the more wealthier parties and at each juncture we see how her relationship with her mother is being shaped, ultimately giving way to the heart in this story.

The soundtrack creates a comical juxtaposition. Fairy Sprinkles – who is your stereotypical party entertainer full of whimsy and magic for all of the children–  against hard grunge rock songs with surprising effectiveness. Heffernan has a beautiful voice, and transitions between genres such as rock, and rap with ease. 

It’s worth noting: Heffernan is an exceptional performer with incredible ability to put her audience at ease – and deftly. You need this for a one-person show; this story invites you on some particularly personal story, but she has real skill in making punters feel safe and comfortable.   

Nonetheless, there were points within the performance where I felt lost within her story. Trying to link together events to build up a bigger picture – Fairy Sprinkles’ narrative often felt detached without an obvious anchor point – was an endeavour. But this may have been a matter of interpretation; a lack of connectivity may have signalled the fragmented way in which parental trauma passes onto the next generation. 

Party Girl is an addictive production, her charisma carries you through, hanging on every word but I found myself leaving the performance asking more questions than receiving answers. Nonetheless, Fairy Sprinkles’ tragic childhood parallels well-known 80s rock songs and creates a distressing yet jovial atmosphere – held exceptionally well by the performer and in a way that made you think. A strong recommendation for this year’s Fringe. 

You can catch Party Girl until August 26th at Summerhall. Tickets are available here through the Edinburgh fringe website.