Anoushka Lucas’s debut play is, on paper, a monologue. But in this melodic study of mixed-raced identity within the British middle class, there are two stars; Lylah (played by Lucas) and her first love – her mahogany piano.
Lylah’s adoration of her instrument, which arrived through the windows of her council house when she was seven, permeates the story. She is working-class, has English, French, Indian and Cameroonian heritage, and “on an enormous bursary from the French government” attends a private school that encourages her musical talent, setting her on the path to Oxford University. On the way, Lylah faces vicious racism in the playground, which her mother tells her to “rise above” as she unconsciously changes her voice to sound more like the Queen.
