Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Low Down
Honest, unflinching, funny and revealing, get to know Jonny, from Woolworths to Summerhall.
Review
A true queer icon tells us his personal story, forging elements of storytelling, music, poetry, lip syncing and fabulous dresses in a unique hour that is anything but suburban. From his upbringing in the Medway towns, escaping and ecstasy in the 90s, the clubs of New York, highs and lows, and the queer community. How he wanted to be Donna, his mum’s best friend and the inspiration behind his first drag queen look, sex with his piano teacher, not legal under the law of the time, risky sex and risky theatre making. It’s an extraordinary show, culminating in Jonny stripping bare and creating a sparking finale!
Large net curtains dominate the design, from which we peek in and out, and they are parted to reveal the secrets they contain, helped with some swift costume changes. The show is full of honesty, defiant, with a few regrets. Songs assist the story, (he performs a beautiful, melancholic version of The Pet Shop Boys’s Suburbia), and the soundscape is punctuated with audio clips that reflect the era, (Thatcher’s Section 28 rant, John Hurt’s narration and the tombstones and icebergs of the AIDS public service announcements.) These are the harsh realities and have shaped Woo as a man and a performer, and the moments of reflection are nicely placed among the raves and the lip syncing.
However, there are two lives being performed here. All of the dresses, everything worn by Woo, were bequeathed to him, and belonged to a suburban cross dresser. This secret life, possibly existing only behind the net curtains, adds another layer to the show. That secret cross dresser is now given life, the clothes now on public display, providing a beautiful and original counterpoint. How was this life lived whist Jonny Woo found his authentic self? Was this person happy? It tells us of suppression, of a secret life lived by many people, hiding away from societal disapproval.
There is a fair amount of nudity from Woo, but none of it feels misplaced, it gives us a literal raw honesty, and he unifies the audience in celebrating Queer communities, we are encouraged to wave our hands in the air, and ecstasy, (in the form of mints!), is offered to the audience. His love of Eurovision book ends the piece, and this is a totally fascinating and engaging sharing of a Queer life well lived.
