Created by Tessa Parr

Review by Eve Nugent

Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall

Entering the dark Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall with nobody on stage, the audience sits in silence waiting for something to happen – heads begin to swivel in expectation. Suddenly, the stage door creaks open and out comes Johnny, complete with impeccable (drawn-on) abs and a gym towel slung over his shoulders. He struts across the stage, ready to express his deep, deep feelings – through spoken-word poetry.

Johnny’s Calvin Kleins, however, are pulled up so high that they seem to have inhibited his way with words. What follows is an assortment of beatboxing, awkward rhymes and the lifting a chair with one arm while grunting profusely.

Written and performed by Tess Parr, I AM JOHNNY is a light-hearted piece of male drag that pokes fun at performative masculinity and the increasingly popular trend of poetic emotional expression. The exaggerated macho persona and misplaced confidence make him an entertaining caricature of the kind of person who desperately wants to appear emotionally in touch, without knowing at all how to get there.

Parr is particularly charming in their audience interaction, sharing Minty Balls and uncomfortable eye contact with each lucky spectator. These moments help to create a playful sense of intimacy, drawing the audience further into Johnny’s strange world.

Frequent awkward pauses written into the script are for the most part successful, although some feel just a little too long. The script can also feel slow and occasionally darts too quickly between ideas without giving them enough weight to fully land. As a result, the show feels more like a collection of amusing moments rather than a fully developed piece.

I AM JOHNNY has a funny and original premise, taking the mick out of the gimmicky world of the pretentious performance of emotional vulnerability – it is a charming piece of character comedy that, although it does not always quite know where it is going, remains entertaining along the way.

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