Layla Warren talks to the audience as if we’re friends having tea, breaking the fourth wall and inviting us into her life. Her story ranges from Tehran, to London, to Los Angeles; from scared child, to precocious teen, to MTV presenter, to actor and loving mother. She has an endearingly warm and funny demeanour: touching on the more harrowing aspects of her life without dwelling on them; celebrating her successes without taking them for granted. What elevates her show beyond a spoken-word autobiography is the ending, which explores the fear she feels living in the USA under the current regime. Her performance is an act of gentle defiance, as she juxtaposes her own empathy with Trump’s soundbites: a chilling contrast.

Gilded Balloon Patter House, until 31 Aug. 
tw rating 4/5 | [Andy Leask]