★★★★
3 White Guys Named John is Andrea Coleman’s personal account of the impact that John Hughes, John Mayer and Jon Bon Jovi have had on her life. She considers them as her “guardian angels”, showing up to guide her whenever she feels like she may be on the wrong path. As a Black American woman who grew up in the south, she acknowledges that she has little in common with them, and yet she has deeply connected with their songs and films. Whether it is bullying in school, arguing with her mother or deciding whether to take a risk and pursue an acting career, she finds messages in their work which help her decide the best course of action to take.
It is a very open and personal show, and Coleman talks candidly about the struggles she has faced, lots of which resonate with the audience. Many raise their hands when she asks who has had a best friend that bullied them, and her struggles of feeling trapped in the friendship for fear of having no friends is painfully relatable. She is a very down-to-earth performer, and performs a solid show despite distractions from audience members in the front row.
A key dilemma that’s been particularly present in the past few years is separating problematic celebrities from their work, which is a struggle that Coleman knows well. Mayer’s music resonated with her so deeply during her early adulthood that she often felt the lyrics were personally written for her. When Mayer says disgusting things about Black people and makes comments that target Black women, her heart is broken. She grapples with feelings of hurt and betrayal against her strong support for free speech. Her pain and anguish is palpable, and it makes for a very moving and thought-provoking segment.
3 White Guys Named John has good material, but it doesn’t quite show off Coleman’s full potential. I would have loved to see more of her acting as the small glimmers that appear (such as her fangirl-esque shrieking over her heroes) are amazing. Similarly, the multimedia element could work better alongside the script: for instance, a video played after the John Mayer section would give her a bit more of a breather for her much-needed crying break. That being said, she is a very charismatic and likeable performer, and the performance serves as a reminder that we should keep engaging with films and music that gives us joy, even if we don’t agree with the artist’s opinions.
3 White Guys Named John was performed at Zoo Playground as part of Edinburgh Fringe.
Words by Ellen Leslie
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