Review: ZAINAB JOHNSON: LIVE, Soho Theatre

“Let’s get started . . . I got a gun”

Zainab Johnson: Live starts with a metaphorical bang, with Johnson getting on stage and declaring that she has a gun. And just like that, the audience is hooked. Why does Johnson have a gun? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out. As an American myself, I was curious as to how this material was going to go over in the UK, somewhere where gun violence isn’t as prevalent or even in the minds of many. Luckily, Johnson is here to explain.

From the first few minutes, Johnson is able to establish that she is discussing a serious subject but is still going to be performing a stand-up comedy show, first bringing up the election results in the United States and explaining the fearmongering that has occurred while still cracking jokes to keep the atmosphere light, including a hilarious bit in which she discusses her ignorance on the concept of a “glock” and the personality that she gives her own gun. It is through the fact that Johnson has got a gun that we learn more about her life, with the comedian sharing different anecdotes that connect to the way she views the world around her. 

We first learn a bit about Johnson’s dating life as she goes into detail on what she is looking for in a man before going on the defensive about short men, though we soon find out this may be in a more joking manner than we would have originally expected, with Johnson telling short men - apologies, short “kings” - to “Plan around your disability” when going on dates with taller women. And don’t worry, her dating stories do tie into her new ownership of a gun.

One of the aspects of her life that Johnson focuses on is the fact that she now owns a home and how the men around her are scared for her, with one friend simply saying, “They’re killing women in houses,” which leads Johnson to an interesting Google search. While most of the anecdotes are amusing and get lots of laughs from the crowd, there are also some more serious moments, including Johnson acknowledging that she may need to protect herself and the fear she faces when making this realisation, taking us to a previous moment in her life where she had the same feeling - you’ll never be able to guess what happens.

An absolute highlight of the show for me is one of the final stories that Johnson tells, which is about an opossum that she encountered while living in her new home. Eugene the Opossum is a delightful side character and I was impressed with how Johnson was able to connect changing her perspective on guns to something as mundane as (o)possums (don’t worry - Johnson goes into detail on the differences between opossums and possums for those curious. 

There is not much crowd work from Johnson, which works for this show as she is telling personal stories and doesn't need to be talking to the audience about their own lives. In a moment of audience interaction towards the beginning of the show that doesn’t go to well, Johnson herself laughs it off, admitting that she should’ve backed out of that particular interaction before moving on. If there is one critique to be made on the show in general, it would be that the show’s description doesn’t exactly match the show as a whole, as there are a few things Johnson doesn’t really discuss, but that is something incredibly minor. 

Zainab Johnson: Live is a show that manages to perfectly blend humour with some hard truths, especially after the results of the recent election in the United States. Johnson is a fantastic storyteller and is able to weave all of her anecdotes together, somehow managing to connect things like short men and possums back to her main point - “I’m a black Muslim woman with a gun.”

It is one of the best stand-up comedy shows that I have seen this year, so if you have a chance to see her, don’t hesitate!

Zainab Johnson: Live ran from 18 to 23 November at Soho Theatre.

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