In Lunchbox, Lubna Kerr takes a familiar childhood story — the dreaded school bully — and turns it into something richer, more layered, and unexpectedly compassionate. As both writer and performer, Kerr draws from her own schooldays to recall Stephen McGregor, the boy who stole her lunch and whose looming presence she tried to avoid at all costs.

Kerr is, on the surface, the victim here, but her decision to focus on Stephen rather than herself transforms the piece into a study of what lies behind cruelty. Through deft, unshowy writing and sharp character work, she invites us to look past the bullying and her bruised feelings to the forces shaping Stephen’s anger and confrontation. It’s an approach that challenges easy judgements without ever excusing his behaviour.

As a performer, Kerr slips effortlessly between a variety of roles — classmates, teachers, family — giving each a distinct personality. Her Stephen is vivid and flawed, but also strangely vulnerable, and it’s a mark of her skill that we find ourselves feeling sympathy for someone we might otherwise dismiss.

The staging is simple, allowing Kerr’s storytelling to take centre stage. The journey builds towards an ending that is both upbeat and satisfying, offering resolution without sentimentality.

Lunchbox is a gentle yet resonant reminder that behind every act of bullying is a more complex human story — one that, when told with empathy and insight, can change the way we see the world.

Reviewed by Rona