LEILA LIVE! by Leila (Laugh With Leila Productions/Next Stage). At Factory Antechamber (125 Bathurst). January 4 at 8:25 pm, January 5 at 6:40 pm, January 6 at 8:30 pm, January 7 at 3:25 pm, January 8 at 5:55 pm, January 9 at 7:25 pm, January 10 at 5:55 pm, January 11 at 8:40 pm, January 12 at 8:40 pm, January 13 at 5:25 pm, January 14 at 3:55 pm. See listing. Rating: NNNN
This 30-minute character-based blast of zany high-energy fun introduces us to Leila, a shamelessly self-obsessed Iranian woman living in Toronto who loves to text and sing and live her best life, but is as naive about relationships as she is stubbornly confident in her own amazingness.
Sporting a colourful headscarf, an awesome tiger-print outfit and a full beard, the mysterious performer behind the act (Izad Etemadi) blends over-the-top storytelling, comic cover songs and running punny gags into a laugh-filled tale about Leila befriending an Instagram celebrity and attending a gala at Casa Loma.
Part of the plot involves returning free samples, but this sample-sized show leaves you wanting more Leila!
