Reparations is Maryam Garad’s cheerfully indelicate story, following prolific shoplifter Aisha on a path to self-destruction. Freshly released from prison and back to her life on a council estate, she stumbles into an encounter with an influencer who has the power to change her life; as long as she can keep her story straight. With Aisha’s real life beginning to threaten her social media status, the understanding of shame, jealousy and a casual view of the justice system à la Anna Delvey are well executed. At all times there’s a sense of antihero to the protagonist as Aisha asks that, for once, we give a pass to someone who needs it.

Underneath the charm is a child abandoned by family, failed by the system and using their intelligence to get a leg up. If Anna can do it, why can’t a Muslim woman with a fragile sense of identity? While the play may not engage entirely with its title, it’s got echoes of the female rage in TV’s Swarm and points to the competitive nature of the British class system and fickle world of influencer culture. Reparations is engrossing and performed with precision.

Reparations, Pleasance Courtyard, until 30 August, 2pm; picture: Kit McCarthy.