by Ed Fortune

Over at STARBURST Towers, we’ve seen a lot of science-fiction-themed stage productions, and one thing that keeps cropping up is the use of this genre to process trauma. From heartfelt explorations into childhood to simply using sci-fi fandom as a backdrop, this recurring theme exists because science fiction straddles fantasy and reality very well. 

Photon StarBlaster and the Suicidal Spaceship is perhaps one of the most overt uses of the theme we’ve seen. The show opens with renegade galactic agent Photon Starblaster in his rocket ship, blasting away from Earth to find his superior officer. He’s assisted by the ship’s computer, who is strangely more interested in flying into the heart of a black hole. Photon has to spend a lot of time convincing the ship to stay alive.

Then, with a simple change of lighting, we are returned to Earth. Photon is a 12-year-old boy with a very, very worried mother. Both are still grieving a recent loss but in different ways. We shuttle between reality and fantasy, the metaphors thick and the humour salty and keen. 

This is a show that talks, brutally and plainly, about how suicide impacts a family.

Using science fiction to deal with big, complicated and emotional issues is nothing new, as anyone who’s ever read Frankenstein can attest. What makes Photon StarBlaster and the Suicidal Spaceship work is a very warm, very honest performance. This is a courageous, charming, relevant and intelligent show performed with both passion and skill.

Beautifully done, go check it out.

Photon StarBlaster and the Suicidal Spaceship is on at the Edinburgh Fringe until the 27th August 2023. You can get tickets here. And you can find out more about the people behind the show here.