Sameena Zehra gets her name and looks from her Indian heritage, and she gets her education and her enunciation from being among the English.

On her opening night at Bats, bare footed, she impresses with an enviable naturalness, whatever the tale she’s telling. Grammar and corporal punishment are part of her schooling in Northern India, as is a mother whose reaction to her daughter’s relinquishing of Muslim belief is a mixture of threat and liberalism.

Western sensibilities counter balance Indian traditions and our story teller interweaves them to good effect. We learn about the hopelessly inefficient maid who lives with the family, as does the redoubtable servant Mohammed. Sameena’s imitation of Indian accents adds considerably to the delight of this performance, as does her ability to say “fuck” in a beautifully educated voice!

I wonder why she bothers with a microphone – the Studio space is small and her projection excellent.

A more serious note is introduced when she describes her experience of Hostile Environment Training in Kabul, where she learned how to identify what weapon has been used to kill by the damage it has done to the body.

“Indian bureaucracy is an art form,” she assures us wryly, as a prelude to recounting a foiled attempt to get a visa.  

Sameena’s final story elaborates on the title of her show. It’s a story that perfectly draws together themes and characters we’ve already met in a tale that’s as surprising as it’s delightful.

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