Words: Clare Roberts

4 stars 

LuluLand is a refreshing one act musical with an alien-twist that is an authentic and nuanced portrayal of autism. 

If you just don’t ‘get people’ and therefore feel like an alien on your own planet, imagine what it would be like if you could go someplace else, where everybody is exactly like you. This is what happens to Lucy, known as LuLu, who struggles in her life where nothing is built with her needs in mind. She dreams of another planet and is then abducted by aliens and taken to LuluLand, which seemingly is a perfect fit for her. But maybe there is such a thing as too perfect? And how you define you after all? 

The plot is pacy and satisfying as we watch Lucy and Matty learn how to embrace themselves and others. Throughout the piece, soft acoustic music on the guitar was played by protagonist and creator Lucy Ann Morrison, who has gorgeous folksy vocals with a musical theatre lilt. The repeated musical phrases and consistently lifted vocal inflection when speaking gave the piece a distinctive, slightly heightened quality, although the repetition occasionally felt a little overextended.

This is a tight, cosmic Fringe blast full of charm, jokes, and a heartfelt message that feels perfectly tuned to a world craving hopeful messages from somewhere beyond our own orbit.

LuluLand 
Dram at Gilded Balloon Patter House 
17:00 
5 – 31 Aug