Saria Callas is a passionate and intense solo show that has perhaps too many issues to cover. A mother reflects on her own past in a nation that refuses her freedoms (especially the freedom to sing) and the challenges of a transitioning child. Recognising the continuity in their struggles, Sara struggles to reconcile her concerns with the child’s right to discover and express their identity, with songs inspired by Maria Callas providing an operatic poignancy. Performer and writer Sara Amini recounts her protagonist’s journey from the Iranian Revolution to the sudden freedoms of Europe, both nostalgic for her homeland and aware of its restraints.

Her child’s transition intrudes into an attempt to connect with her parents and while there is sensitivity in the script’s addressing of the migrant’s experience, the two stories never fully resolve into a tragic or optimistic resolution. Instead, there are moments of astonishing beauty, paired with frustratingly brief reflections on her offspring’s moments of self-recognition. Sara’s story is, itself, powerfully dramatic and follows her across cultures, as she tried to hold onto her sense of self in very different societies. Casting off the veil in Europe precipitates its own dangers, and the show is most emotive when it follows the mother’s memories of childhood trauma and pleasure.

Saria Callas, Underbelly Cowgate, until 24 August, 8.50pm; main picture: Harry Elletson.