Part play, part drag king poetry-slam, Tessa Parr’s I Am Johnny is an intimate, uncomfortable and often hilarious exploration of toxic masculinity.
Parr bounds onto the stage, a vision of slicked-back hair and painted abs – who may or may not have come straight from the gym. Absolutely committed to her portrayal of Johnny, Parr is entirely serious about this comically earnest character: a man who has found self-expression through dubious spoken word performance, sub-par beatboxing and woeful breakdancing.
Johnny is played with aching sincerity and absolutely deadpan delivery. The piece is slow-paced, soporific at times, but Parr’s dedication to the character study is second to none. Literally performing masculinity, with all the foibles that it presents, the piece is strangely moving at times, and outright hilarious at others. That said, it is often hard to see where the piece is going, and it is unclear what Parr wants to achieve other than holding a mirror up to these shortcomings.
Parr builds an exceptional rapport with her audience through the medium of Johnny, and some of the funniest moments occur when this creation comes into contact with reality. A masterclass in clowning and staying committed to a character, it would be fantastic to see Johnny applied to a narrative with real bite.
By Deborah Klayman
I Am Johnny plays at Summerhall, Edinburgh until August 31st 2026.
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