Shalaka Kurup @ Pleasance Courtyard

Shalaka Kurup was once labelled “cheugy” – Gen Z’s term for something outdated, uncool, or trying too hard (read: millennials) – and she may or may not prove that point during her hour. She is an only child, holds a PhD in trains, and says her big immigrant dream is to go to therapy. Kurup desperately wants to be the main character.

Her premise, convincing a Norwegian therapist she needs a diagnosis (any diagnosis), is wry and refreshingly absurd, though she admits she is no Tony Soprano. The Fast and the Furious fuels her delivery, so expect forceful and sometimes disjointed callbacks. There’s clever cultural commentary here, particularly in her take on the tension between her Indian heritage and UK expectations, delivered with charm and mischievous wit.

A darker, stranger highlight arrives when she recalls working a mental health hotline at nineteen and speaking to a woman in an inappropriate relationship with her dog. This absurd detour shows Kurup’s knack for mixing surreal real-life oddities with personal reflections on therapy. 

Even her yearning for an autism diagnosis morphs into speculation about narcissistic personality disorder, backed by anecdotal “evidence” that she cried over her beloved grandpa for exactly 3 minutes and 17 seconds listening to Take Me Home, Country Roads by John Denver.

However, Get A Grip doesn’t always land its punches. The tone is consistent and the delivery confident, but some sections clearly feel more polished than others. It lacks the emotional resonance and narrative lift one hopes for in a debut, and in many ways Kurup is still chasing the high of her school’s Tinker Bell performance, though there’s every chance she’ll reach it in future.

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Shalaka Kurup: Get a Grip, Pleasance Courtyard (Attic), until 25 Aug, 8.30pm, £9-£13