Set in the far-flung locations of a well-to-do suburb in Pakistan and a council estate on a Scottish island, Sudha Bhuchar’s new play at the Pegasus Theatre is an intriguing story of the love between Glasgow girl Suzy and British Asian Farhan that tried to overcome cultural and religious differences but sadly failed, and the ensuing media storm when the estranged couple’s 12-year-old daughter flees to Pakistan to be with her father.

My Name Is .. is based on true events in 2006 when Molly Campbell disappeared from her Shetland home and turned up in Pakistan with her father, thereby creating a media frenzy complete with claims of kidnapping and forced marriages.

When this was dispelled by the girl announcing that she was acting under her own volition, accusations were then directed at her mother Louise — blaming her for being an unfit parent. In the media’s eyes someone must be the villain — the beauty of this play is its truthful explanat-ion of why that is wrong.

The names of the characters have been changed but the story is taken verbatim from interviews with Molly (Gabby/Ghazala in the play) and her parents.

At the heart of the play is Suzy’s journey from cheeky young teenager to devout Muslim wife, from mental illness to apostasy, and eventual abandonment by her family. Karen Bartke is remarkably good in this role. There are also strong performances from Kiran Sonia Sawar and Umar Ahmed as Ghazala and Farhan. I particularly liked the mixing of English and Urdu in their dialogue, which vividly exhibited their twofold culture — though I was aware from the laughter of parts of the audience that I was missing some good jokes!

This production, directed with clarity and balance by Phillip Osment, rescues this sad tale from the hysterical hands of the media so that it can be told from a more truthful perspective.