“Brown Girls Do It Too: Mama Told Me Not to Come” is a riotous and revelatory exploration of what it means to be brown, female, and unapologetically outspoken in Britain today. Poppy Jay and Rubina Pabani, the award-winning duo behind the hit BBC podcast, bring their signature wit and candour to the stage in a show that is equal parts comedy, confession, and cultural reckoning.
From the opening blast of nineties pop to the closing moments of reflection, the production pulses with energy. The set—a nostalgic recreation of a teenage bedroom—serves as both sanctuary and battleground, a place where the performers unpack family expectations, body image, shame, and sexual awakening.
Jay and Pabani’s chemistry is electric. Their interplay feels spontaneous yet deeply grounded in shared experience, oscillating between outrageous humour and moments of aching vulnerability. A sketch about “The Coconut Crimes Hotline” lands big laughs, while their letters to their mothers—delivered near the show’s end—bring an unexpected emotional depth that hushes the room.
Director’s choices keep the production agile and intimate, using the Walthamstow space to blur the line between performers and audience. Occasionally, a sketch stretches too long or leans too heavily on familiar tropes, but the honesty and sheer charisma of the duo make those moments forgivable.
In all, Brown Girls Do It Too is a defiant act of joy and storytelling—a celebration of identity, shame, and self-liberation. It’s theatre that leaves you laughing, thinking, and, most of all, feeling seen.
On until 13th September, book your tickets here.
WRITTEN BY: Nura Arooj
