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.
Relay is running until 25 August (not 12) at Pleasance Courtyard (Beside).
Buy tickets here.
Image courtesy of Chillee Noir, provided to The Student as press material.