Leila Navabi: Relay at Carriageworks Theatre
Demi Sheridan, Editorial AssistantBook now
Leila Navabi: Relay
Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.
This April, Leeds’ Carriageworks Theatre welcomes Relay to the stage: A riotous collision of stand-up comedy, electro-pop songs and hand-drawn animation.
Relay is about Leila Navabi’s journey to making a queer family on their own terms, told through confession, theatrical movement and performance. Navabi recounts the process of making a baby at home with her partner and a friend who happened to be the sperm donor, while his boyfriend cheered from the side-lines. If the rave reviews are anything to go by, it’s intimate, chaotic and alive in its absurdity and affection.
Not to be confused with a sitcom or cabaret, Relay is grounded in lived experience. This experience is only elevated by Navabi’s fierce charisma and musicality, with six original songs intertwined within the hour-long show. The show itself takes on many forms of delivery, from candid stand-up to confessional ballad and animated asides, bringing its cast of characters to life.
Shaped by a punk heart and sharp comedic timing, Navabi moves from clinic culture to framing family-making as a collective act of rebellion. Taking on love, ambition, humour and bureaucracy with unflinching honesty, expect a performance that gets you laughing and thinking at the same time.
Don’t just take our word for it, The Guardian included Relay in its ‘10 Best Shows to Catch at Edinburgh Fringe’ list.
