LuluLand at Glided Balloon Patter House Review
LuluLand follows Lucy, a girl who never felt like she fit in anywhere, always an outsider in society. That is until she is abducted into a spaceship which shares the same name she calls her mind, LuluLand, where everyone is the exact same as her. After meeting another human onboard in detention, Lucy realises it might be her differences that are her strength.
Lucy Ann Morrison has produced some of the most beautiful, almost hypnotic music I have heard at this year’s fringe, using it both as an escape for the character but also a plot device, gently moving the story along instead of stalling it. It’s also worth noting that mics are used in this show, making it so much easier to hear and understand the piece.
The stage does feel a little bit for a smallish cast, really never filling it to its potential, but does work on a symbolic level, emphasising the empty atmosphere of the spacecraft. This benefits the story, almost like it’s trying to tell Lucy that being around others and only others that are exactly like her can be stunting and creatively draining.
Morrison portrays Lucy with a sense of nuance, never overacting but passionately and defiantly putting herself completely wholly into the character. Whilst Erin Draper and Lisa McIntyre complete the trio, performing a range of characters without ever feeling similar, all three shining brightly with alien-like glow.
LuluLand explores what it is to finally believe you’ve found where you belong but may not mean to be. Portraying autism in a delicate, authentic light, the show never feels educational, but you do leave feeling like you are wiser than an hour ago.
LuluLand plays at the Glided Balloon Patter House until 31 August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
★★★★
Written by Kerry for Theatre and Tonic, August 2026.
