Lamesha Ruddock
“Maybe God speaks in pop culture references.”
Andrea Coleman delivers a heartfelt and divinely observed journey through memory, where uncanny coincidences become a personal roadmap to self-discovery. This is a show that leaves you with a smile on your face and a playlist you will never hear in the same way again.
Whilst Andrea Coleman’s world has been shaped by Black women, the universe found a way to speak to her through the most unlikely messengers: three white guys named John. It was John Hughes’ whip-smart teen rebellions in Weird Science (1985) and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986) that taught her to stand her ground. It was John Mayer’s Why Georgia that affirmed the leap from law school dreams to Shakespeare. It was Jon Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer that reappeared in the most surprising moments, reminding her to keep going.
In 3 White Guys Named John, Andrea Coleman gives these cultural icons their disclaimers, acknowledging their flaws and controversies, before reclaiming their words and melodies for herself. She turns what could be ironic fandom into something closer to spiritual repurposing. These songs and scenes no longer belong to the men who created them, they belong to Andrea.
The staging is minimal but deeply considered. Andrea Coleman steps on stage with a fro, red collared shirt, white jeans and gold accents, a look that nods to Ferris Bueller’s Cameron. Two black wooden chairs sit on stage, one holding a folded piece of paper and a box of tissues. A projector screen allowing for careful use of film and audio clips pulls the audience into each moment of her life, from the animated retelling of childhood bullies to the tension of a road trip from Virginia to Florida, and the quiet clarity of a song filling a car at night.
Andrea Coleman’s storytelling is wholly compelling. She builds worlds in minutes, making us feel the steering wheel beneath her hands and the joy of recognising a sign meant only for her. When the moped in New York blasts It’s My Life, when the same line drifts past her apartment window, when the child’s denim jacket at Christmas reads the same words, we know exactly what she means when she says the message is impossible to ignore.
3 White Guys Named John is Andrea Coleman’s love letter to the strange ways guidance arrives, even from imperfect sources. Beautiful, unlikely and divine, this is a show that asks us to pay attention.
If you have ever felt a song or a movie was guiding you, Andrea Coleman’s 3 White Guys Named John is your sign to listen now.
You can catch 3 White Guys Named John until Sunday 24th at Playground 1 at ZOO Playground from 14:00 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Phoebe Bakker
Jasmine Silk
