Saria Amini, writer, performer and co-director of Saria Callas [Harry Elletson]

SARIA CALLAS
Camden People’s Theatre
3.5 stars

IN this arresting one-woman show, Iranian writer and performer Saria Amini draws on her own experiences to explore what it means to live under and resist repression.

With a glass of red wine to hand and dressed in a satin nightgown, Saria reflects on her life and choices.

Saria loves to sing and dance, but growing up in Iran she is policed at every turn. By the age of nine she is already required to wear the veil. She finds ways to indulge her passion, by singing revolutionary anthems on the school bus and vying for the role of prayer-caller. In private she sings along to Madonna, Maria Callas and Iranian popular music.

Saria wants to pursue a career in theatre, but the restrictions and regulations limit her options. After a brief, liberating stint in Paris, she contacts her aunt and moves to London.

When Saria falls pregnant she is met with a suffocating response from her family. After the birth of her son, she navigates the challenges of single parenthood—and later his own struggle with body and gender identity.

Co-directed by Manuel Lavandera, Amini tackles these weighty themes with wit, interweaving storytelling, video and song with playful humour.

To May 17
www.cptheatre.co.uk