Foreign Girl – Bread & Roses Theatre

Ana is the foreign girl, a Belarusian living in the UK, attempting to get herself the Global Talent visa in the field of theatre. On realising that mere song and dance isn’t going to be enough, she calls her agent for help in deciding on what kind of professional theatre piece could make her eligible. They go through options – Marina Abramovic (too abstract), Chekhov (but he’s been cancelled), Shakespeare (Lady Macbeth with a Belarusian twist could work) – until they hit the right one. An autobiography.

Written and performed by Anastasiya Ador and directed by Rachel D’Souza, this hour-long performance takes us through Ana’s life as she tries to set down roots in the West. Her attempts to assimilate are experiences that would resonate with many an immigrant, from mispronounced names to finding the correct response to “You alright?”

Ana covers a lot of ground in the telling of her story. Childhood, her scientist mother and poet father, the politics of Belarus, and, taking up the bulk of the space, her years in India. Speaking flawless Hindi and dancing to Bollywood songs, Anastasiya surely surprises. But you do wonder what her life in UK has been like, because there is precious little of that.

Ana starts off the performance dressed to look like a Matryoshka doll with a head scarf neatly tied under her chin and perfect pink circles painted on her cheeks. When it draws to a close, her makeup has been washed off with water from a teapot, there is scone and jam smeared on her face, the Union Jack peeks through her drenched clothes. The symbolism is perfect.

The show is entertaining and endearing, with its conversational style and occasional profundity.

Foreign Girl will stage again on 13th October as part of the Lambeth Fringe with tickets available at https://lambethfringe.com/events

Reviewer: Savitha Venugopal

Reviewed: 29th September 2025

North West End UK Rating: