I AM - A Walking Universe

Enter the studio of LULA.XYZ, the creator of OommoO where words come to life. As she attempts to pen the next chapter to her namesake character Lula Berhane, the girl next door who just happens to be Habesha (Eritrean Ethiopian), life lifes. ‘I am a walking Universe, Godlike, with the power to create life’. When the mind forgets but the body doesn’t, every traumatic event is etched into the fabric of DNA. Memories manifests themselves like a pollutant, causing powers to misfire. I am Earth personified. Who cursed her? How? When? Why… Does nobody care?!

• Rating: 5 / 5 (15 reviews)

Reviews

• Renaud Schiappa — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 23, 2025
  Powerful writing and deep and emotional play for a very important topic dealing with racism, biaised medecine and misogyny. Really glad that we went to see this beautiful play. Lula.xyz is an important artist and I hope that more will have the chance to see her show and meet her work
• Bram De Jaeger — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 20, 2025
  I AM: a Walking Universe is a powerful, deeply vulnerable performance where vulnerability itself becomes the maker’s greatest strength. The show sheds light on a vital, too-often ignored reality: how Black women are systematically overlooked in medical science. This is a story that matters – and it especially matters here, at a festival dominated by white male voices. The Fringe Edinburgh urgently needs to platform more work like this: honest, brave, necessary.
• Aoife van Linden Tol — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 20, 2025
  Powerful show. Highly experimental, technical, emotional, challenging, funny, thought provoking. I cry and laugh every time I see her work.
• Sebastian Heroiu — ★★★★☆ (4/5) — August 20, 2025
  A powerful voice with an important story to share.
• Shreya Marshall — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 15, 2025
  Such a wonderful performance. This form of storytelling felt new, visoral and nessesary. An act of bravery! It made me laugh and cry. An important show to see this Edi Fringe. It was so beautiful to see!!!!
• Jessica Samira Nlabu — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 14, 2025
  Lula didn’t just perform, she laid herself bare. She stood on that stage and undressed her soul in front of us, without armour, without safety nets, knowing full well that some in the first tier would sit on their hands. That kind of courage is rarer than any standing ovation. Her storytelling is not simply nuanced it is a living thing, breathing between every word, stitched with truth that hurts because it’s real. Her voice carries both the ache of history and the pulse of now, and her physicality makes you feel like the story is happening in your own bones. To witness this in a climate where public funding is absent, where artistic support is scarce, is to watch a fire burn without fuel — and still burn bright. Lula is not only one of my favourite performers; she is one of the most important. Her work is proof that art can be both a wound and a balm, and she does it without apology. She did that. And some of us will never forget it.
• Shazad Khalid — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 12, 2025
  Lula's back with another episode in the I AM series, this time exploring the 'Black woman curse'. A must see piece of theatre uncovering the disparities in health care to say the least and using her signiture style to do so. A real 'Experience', exactly what we need more of in theatre. It's a genuine joy to see Lula grow from strength to strength and cannot wait to see what comes next in her wonderful world of tech and storytelling.
• Chris Sholar — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 7, 2025
  Lula is a formidable artist! Her ability to write and personify the layered depth of human emotion is mastery. She manages to turn a black box theatre into a cinematic experience is a way I have never seen before. It really is ‘Black mirror’ but for stage.
• Susie Blundell — ★★★★★ (5/5) — August 1, 2025
  Lula is the most incredible story teller - sincere, honest, not afraid to push the boundaries and really make people think. The tech is so clever and creates atmosphere that most one-person shows cannot achieve. There are real moments of challenge - but as an audience, if we are not challenged then what's the point? Highly recommend.
• Cherae Halley — ★★★★★ (5/5) — July 11, 2025
  What did I just witness? An independent artist - on all levels, sound, lights, AV and still as storyteller…what!??? Absolutely phenomenal!!!!
• Scott Rozman — ★★★★☆ (4/5) — July 10, 2025
  Lula brings her heart to this one-woman self exploratory show. Strong use of technology (maybe a bit too dependent on it). Two separate parts - not really clear of their connection but strong energy and heart makes this a show worth experiencing.
• Ayanda Sithebe — ★★★★★ (5/5) — July 3, 2025
  Amazing work!!!!
• Paddy Gervers — ★★★★★ (5/5) — November 8, 2024
  Lula is one of my favourite performers of all time, and each episode in OommoO does nothing but further reinforce it for me. A true knack and cultivated skill in nuanced, honest storytelling, combined with hauntingly beautiful singing & physicality is a real joy to witness. Particularly impressive in the face of such a lack of public funding and artistic support - she is a powerhouse.
• Fumy Opeyemi — ★★★★★ (5/5) — October 28, 2024
  This is a top Tier performance! Oommoo is a deep rooted story which we all can get a taste of and leave feeling good. Very Captivating from the beginning to the end. I recommend this for everyone to see and experience 10/10
• Patience James — ★★★★★ (5/5) — October 26, 2024
  PLZ PLZ FUND THIS SHOW!!!! DO SOMETHING! AS IT IS INCREDIBLY NEEDED! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH! The world needs to see OOMMOO! It took us from highs to low! Impeccable story telling that had us laughing so hard at the edges of our seats to sobbing like babies. Just wow! This story is for so many, it holds a lot of weight! It is an important subject matter that needs to be brought to light! Oommoo deserves to be seen around the world! Again, JUST WOW.

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