| “A Radical Reworking of Everything You Think You Know...” |
Relay |
| Leila Navabi, Sherman Theatre, Pleasance and TEAM , Beside at Pleasance Courtyard , September 4, 2025 |
The publicity read: “Writer and multi-disciplinary rebel Leila Navabi returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with her sophomore show, Relay following a sell-out debut hour, Composition. With sharp wit and tender sincerity, she dives into the wild ride of making a baby at home with her partner, a best mate as the sperm donor, and, naturally, his boyfriend cheering from the sidelines. “Navabi unpacks love, ambition, and the chaos of building a family on her own terms. Equal parts absurd and profound, Relay is proof that family is not just what you make it, but how. “ * * * * The Skinny was there: “At first glance, Leila Navabi’s Relay sets itself up to be a rip-roaring protest piece. Indeed, with her wild hair, dark eyeliner, and glitter-smeared cheeks – not to mention her bright red keytar – she makes for a formidable stage presence. She is a rebel with a cause: for her and her wife to have a child. It’s a goal that the audience are immediately swept up in, supporting her every step of the way with applause, cheers, and occasionally, tears. “What is perhaps Navabi’s greatest talent, aside from her clean, high vocals and her whip-like wit, is her ability to put an audience at ease. Flanked on either side by four lovingly rendered life-size illustrations of her inner circle, the affection which she holds for her queer little family is infectious. “These cut-outs become the props used to illustrate her and her partner’s journey with Reciprocal IVF treatment. Her artistic skill is a particular strength of the piece, adding a multimedia flare to her jokes. The section detailing the process of egg harvesting is a standout, featuring cartoonishly aged eggs being hoovered up by Freddie Mercury in his iconic outfit from the ‘I Want to Break Free’ music video. “Taking a sledgehammer to the nuclear family, Navabi reconstructs the baby-making process not as something between a man and a woman, but between two gay men (and, for a bit, their partner) and two lesbian comedians. “The relay metaphor is hilarious and hard-hitting; the runners get worn out. And yet, even in the midst of her soulful ballad on what it means to love a child that does not yet exist, she can hardly contain joy at the family she has built now that said child does exist. It’s a joy to be able to celebrate it with her. What Navabi creates here is more than a sentimental tribute turned comedy – it's a radical reworking of everything you think you know about family” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://www.theskinny.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh-fringe/comedy/leila-navabi-relay-pleasance-courtyard * * * * Time Out was there: “The curiously terse title Relay seems calibrated to deflect from the fact that this is the second solo Fringe show from Welsh comic Leila Navabi, whose 2023 debut Composition was billed in the more traditional way of having her name next to it in the title. Not that she’s hiding her involvement, more that she seems to be determinedly pushing the ‘theatre’ side of a somewhat generically ambiguous storytelling show that’s co-produced by Sherman Theatre. “....The Elan Isaac-directed show concerns Navabi and her partner – also a ‘brown’ female Welsh stand-up – and Navabi’s account of their efforts to conceive, a process that involved spending a lot of money at a fertility clinic before concluding they had no choice but to go for a rather more budget, rather more DIY option. “With a melodica strapped around her neck for virtually the entire show, Navabi delivers this as a mix of wryly self-deprecating spoken word anecdotes and a series of quavery electronic pop songs that are extremely sweet. As are the animated films and life sized cartoon cut outs of her nearest and dearest (by Elliott Ditton) that she uses as accompaniment....It’s a sweetly ramshackle affair.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://www.timeout.com/edinburgh/comedy/relay-review * * * * The Student News was there: “Leila Navabi has returned to the Fringe with Relay, her sophomore show, directed by Elan Isaac, about conceiving a baby with her partner and best friends. Through the mediums of song, animation, and stand-up comedy, Navabi tells the anarchic story of a found family defying the odds. “The show begins with Navabi shimmering around the room, singing, “I know who I am, so I don’t despair, in lieu of normalcy I have great hair!” Her singing voice is lovely and conversational, and the lyrics themselves are very witty. The opening of the set focuses on Navabi’s relationship with her partner, whom she describes as the “Miss Honey” to her “Sonic the Hedgehog”. “I mean, look at her!” Navabi exclaims, gesturing to a life-sized cut-out illustration of the partner in question. The illustrated characters surrounding Navabi were created by Elliott Ditton and do a wonderful job of emphasising the theme of found family and community which runs throughout the show. However, not every cut-out is so lucky, with one being briefly introduced only for Navabi to banish him to the shadows almost immediately. “Navabi then moves on to discussing the logistics of conceiving as two women, beginning with the process of selecting a sperm donor. Potential donors are eliminated, via the medium of a Top Trumps game, for a variety of sins, including having only four GCSEs, and being from Kent. A lucky donor is selected: the couple’s close friend. On to the clinic they go. Navabi explains how the clinic planned to fertilise her eggs, as the screen behind her shows a tub labelled “gay cum” being poured over wrinkled, “mature” eggs. “A major strength of Relay is Navabi’s ability to dart between these light-hearted moments of comedy and the more solemn realities of dealing with infertility and financial difficulty throughout the process of conceiving. The financial realities in question lead to the defiant decision that Navabi, her partner, and their friends make: to have a child without the involvement of a fertility clinic. Here lies the reason for the show’s title, Relay, but I won’t spoil it for you – just know that the visual is incredibly entertaining. “By the conclusion of Relay, the audience was lit up with smiling, teary faces. I really hope you make your way to see the show this Fringe, for the funny and beautiful story I had the pleasure of hearing Leila Navabi tell.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://thestudentnews.co.uk/2025/08/08/fringe-2025-relay/ |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
This review has been read 201 times |
