Where Do I Start? was a lunchtime show about idenitiy and finding your place in the world. It was a one-woman show and the performer (Nyree Yergainharsian) introduced the show as if it was a seminar or group workshop about figuring out who you are. This clever opening gave context to the piece, acknowledged the audience and encouraged them to ask the same questions Nyree was asking about her own life. It also gave her an opportunity to give us a sense of why she had made this personal piece of theatre.

Nyree tells her story of growing up as an Irish-Armenian and the life she has lived up to this point. What makes this personal story so interesting and engaging for the audience is the simple, entertaining way she tells it. There is a lot of subtle humour and a sense of vulnerability from the performer.

I saw an earlier verison of this show as part of The Theatre Machine Turns You On last February and enjoyed it very much. This verison had more of a clearer shape to it and Nyree also used more physical movement to tell her story. There is a lovely section about how my mum and dad met for the first time that is told almost like a children’s fairytale, with larger than life characters and physical impersonations. Stories from before we are born often seems like family myths, especially when you hear them all the time when you’re growing up.

It was a very pleasant way to spend the hour and Nyree was a charming and entertaining host.