Jonny Woo: Suburbia

Get on the Elizabeth line and ride far enough and you will end up in British Suburbia. You might expect netted curtains and semi detached houses, but you're likely to be surprised by Jonny Woo's version, where cross dressing is embraced and sparklers go in bottoms.

Woo has been subverting expectations since 2003 through performance art, residences and guest shows everywhere from his iconic underground club the Glory to more established venues like the national theatre. This show is penned his most personal output to date, and for good reason, it’s a pure love letter to his life.

Through spoken word, original songs and mime he takes us on a whirlwind tour from his childhood in the leafy outskirts of town to ecstasy ridden Shoreditch nights, all the way through to the present where, naked with a guitar, he tenderly reflects on it all.

There to share it with him on opening night were the people that shared it with him, Jonny often pointing and names dropping friends in the audience, this made the experience even more intimate for those lucky enough to be accepted to the squad for the evening.

Lighting and sound by Sam Hopper propels you there. Club scenes are paired with pumping music that’s sure to help you imagine the party, even if you’ve never stepped foot in East London, and we are always surrounded by a haze of dry ice.

It's very serious at times. He speaks candidly of the Aids crisis that always existed at the back of his mind even in the extreme highs of his hedonism. However the rawest moments are always sandwiched between pure hilarity, never staying somber for long even when exploring his most vulnerable moments.

Jonny's costumes are simply gorgeous, and come from the family of a secret suburban cross dresser he knew of as a child but never met. They serve as a just as beautiful metaphor for how shame can lock someone's brightest essence behind closed doors. Finally they are seen, and through them, Woos muse finally is too.

Catch it at Soho House until the 25th of Jan.