Ginger Johnson is back in Soho with a new show, combining knee-slapping comedy, trippy music, and engaging storytelling in a piece that is exciting and entirely watchable and disarmingly personal.Rating
Excellent!
Ginger Johnson is one of the UK’s most eminent drag artists. Along with winning both RuPaul’s Drag Race UK 2023 and Celebrity MasterChef 2025, she has a decorated career as a cabaret artist and theatre creator. She now returns to the Soho Theatre with her new offering, Show Pony.
Johnson embarks on a journey of self-discovery after becoming “visibly over 25”, returning to her childhood hometown of County Durham in search of family comfort and an old (imaginary) friend. The result is a show that is in equal parts hilarious and touching.
Lasting just over an hour, it is a show of two halves – half stand-up set, half musical revue. There is a loose narrative running throughout, with Johnson regaling us with stories of her notable TV experiences, before moving on to explore the small humiliations one begins to face after a certain age, such as a supermarket worker being able to verify your over-25 status without seeing your face. From here, Johnson seeks to regain some of her youthful sparkle via an appointment with a dodgy ‘chakraproctor’ and an ill-advised hallucinogenic-fuelled party, before heading back up north to comfort her ailing father and seek out an old friend.
Show Pony never loses its speed, keeping the energy and laughs going from beginning to end. The themes of searching for love and identity are expertly knitted together with mad-cap storytelling and psychedelic music, whisking the audience away in a stream of dry ice and dreams. The story is compelling and unexpectedly vulnerable, with Johnson sharing her fears over growing older and losing that spark. It is an excellent weaving of stage comedy and anecdotal storytelling, smart and sarcastic yet easy to follow.
Musically speaking, it is interesting and wildly entertaining. Mixing ballad with a heavy dose of 70s-inspired psych-rock, the soundtrack is catchy and works well alongside the story. Johnson does a wonderful job of using the songs to make cultural commentaries, such as the hysterical ‘The Next Big Thing’. These are balanced out with calmer and more melodic offerings that cut through the glitz and offer something heartfelt and relatable. It’s impossible not to move to the music as Johnson blazes over the stage in a whirlwind of sequins and powerful vocals.
Johnson’s performance is as masterful as it is entertaining. Exhibiting the skill and experience that prove why she has so many acclaimed shows to her name, you can’t take your eyes off her. As well as being genuinely hilarious, she is also a talented storyteller, able to take the audience on a journey through the highs and lows without losing pace, humour, or sincerity. A true star of the comedy stage.
Show Pony is funny, exciting, and entirely watchable. Mixing knee-slapping comedy with trippy music and compassionate storytelling, this show is so much more than a fun night out. I would highly recommend it to fans of Drag Race, Ginger Johnson herself, or just very well-done comedy.
Written and Performed by Ginger Johnson
Produced by Bound and Gagged Comedy
Ginger Johnson: Show Pony plays at the Soho Theatre, Dean Street, until Saturday 7 November.
