Edinburgh Fringe 2025
The John Smith Show
John Smith
Genre: Comedy, Solo Show, Stand-Up
Venue: Deaf Action - Edinburgh Deaf Festival
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
John Smith celebrates his career in a one-hour show where he looks back at the funniest moments of his artistic journey and the many challenges he had to overcome in order to become a professional deaf entertainer.
Review
The first thing that you notice looking at John Smith when he walks on the stage is what we may define as “stage awareness.” The artist really listens to his audience (no double entendre intended here) at an intuitive level even if deaf. It’s that sort of deep intuition that can only be honed over years of experience as, instead of being absorbed within your world, you completely give yourself to the audience.
His show really is a true energy exchange as he shares his passion for the stage with the public. Emotional intelligence runs high in this one-hour performance where John maintains the audience fully engaged with funny professional life stories alternated with short interaction moments which are never invasive as he keeps himself solidly on the small stage of Deaf Action (the venue where this show is played).
The artist has what the Romans defined as “gravitas” – that invisible attribute whose magnetic power provides a mysterious fascination which allows him to take the audience on a journey which is not only comical and farcical but also charged with an optimistic upbeat and a love for life which is highly contagious.
Without giving too much of the show away, the performance is a carousel of John’s funniest moments in his 20-year-long professional life. Each snapshot of his past is introduced with a short introduction by means of slides and photos.
The comedy moments are mostly situational and, to tell the truth, the show is very clean and not so adult-oriented as to require an 18+ certificate. There is only one moment where John casually refers to the benefit of the stringent diet he had to follow, as being finally able to see his genitals. However, apart from that, the show is tasteful (to the point where he throws mini-chocolate bars to the audience at one point!) and also universal in the themes he approaches.
The stories and sketches go from early childhood, relationships with crazy fans, exotic travels to a hilarious moment where he tells the story of a simple train journey turning into a comic odyssey through an accident triggered by an overzealous train ticket controller.
Overall, a great performance, suitable for any kind of audience, hearing or deaf, thanks to the fantastic work of the sign interpreter that accompanies John in his delivery. Definitely a show to see and that feeds the audience with an energetic and optimistic aftertaste once the performance is over.
