Relay @ Pleasance Courtyard

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 – and a radical reworking of everything you think you know about family.

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Relay, Pleasance Courtyard (Beside), until 25 Aug (not 12), 3.35pm, £10-£14