Edinburgh 2022: Review: LOTTIE PLATCHETT TOOK A HATCHET, Assembly Roxy

Lottie Platchett Took a Hatchet is a black comedy based on the Lizzie Borden story. Lottie Platchett is on trial for the murder of her father and stepmother who she killed with an axe. Facing the jury, she protests her innocence and details the complex relationship she had with them.

Written by Justin Elizabeth Sayre and directed by Jessica Hanna this is a delightfully silly play. Tom Lenk plays Lottie's brother, Pansy, a boy who had his pelvis removed due to illness and can now travel by courier. Lenk's deadpan facial expressions are one of the highlights of this piece.

One of the running jokes through the play is that Lottie is secretly in love with her father and this does wear a little thin after a while.

Lottie Platchett Took A Hatchet promises to be a queer, feminist retelling of a well-known true crime story. It's incredibly camp with a little bit of panto thrown in and was definitely a hit with the audience.