Lubna Kerr is the woman at the forefront of this play. But this is not her story. It’s Steven’s. She plays both herself and Steven, in fact she plays everyone in this play.
Steven is Lubna’s High School bully and Lubna is a shy Pakistani immigrant. It is a touching, but quite predictable story and the message is clear within the first 15 minutes. Regardless, she does a great job playing out her High School years.
The show spans (an important) year for Lubna, where she joins the drama club to perform Blood Brothers. Steven also finds himself rehearsing for the same play, meaning Lubna crosses paths with him when she’d prefer not to.
She effortlessly gets into each character with significant skill, clearly giving distinct mannerisms and voice cadence to differentiate each persona. The stage is also quite small and intimate, which is a plus as the performance is intimate. She touches upon racism, homophobia, classism and bullying – all with relation to her own upbringing as a Pakistani immigrant settling in Glasgow.
Unfortunately, her venue, The Green in the Pleasance Courtyard doesn’t do her show justice, the quiet moments are often interrupted with the constant buzz of the crowds outside.
I could imagine this (perhaps combined with the first two shows she has performed) as a TV drama, giving her rich character work the space to truly shine.
Lubna Kerr: Lunchbox, Pleasance Courtyard (The Green), 16:45, Until 24 Aug (not 12 or 19)
