Iranian comedienne in show pregnant with meaning

By Paul Majendie

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - Iranian stand-up comic Shappi Khorsandi has to keep sitting down at the world's largest arts festival.

Nearly eight months gone, she almost certainly ranks as the most heavily pregnant comedienne ever to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Last year she put her heart on her sleeve at the festival, telling the story of her father, satirist Hadi Khorsandi.

He fled Iran after ridiculing Ayatollah Khomeini, and then had to go into hiding with his family in Britain after police discovered a plot to assassinate him.

This year's act is rather different in tone -- the 33-year-old now appoints a woman in the audience every night to be her unofficial midwife, handing her rubber gloves to use if she goes into labour.

"Last year was a show I just had to get out of my system. Now I am just having fun being a comedian," Khorsandi said, scuttling to the theatre exit afterwards to hand out flyers for the show of her husband and fellow comedian Christian Reilly.

Khorsandi, who will be in the 34th week of pregnancy at the end of her month-long Edinburgh run, rose to fame by talking about her heritage, and is now writing a book based on her "Asylum Speaker" comedy routine.

From a family that likes to defuse crisis with comedy, she tells the story in a matter-of-fact voice.