REVIEW: Men Don’t Blush, Prague Fringe 2026 ★★★

On first look Men Don’t Blush promises an absurdist clowning experience tackling the question of what it means to be a man, after having recovered from testicular cancer. An ambitious undertaking that deeply excited me in its first pitch. 

Jose Parra takes on the multiple roles including a shaman, an author, a clown and a house husband. Para’s performance is charming and a little mischievous, which allows him to get away with deep throating a banana, eye-fucking the audience and asking the perverts among us to raise our hands. An impressive few admitted shamelessly. The show has a light-hearted energy that tries out a myriad of on-the-nose, silly and smutty jokes and many of them hit the mark. But the show is not a stand-up comedy, there are multiple elements of the show that needed to work seamlessly and not all pivotal moments edged us as they should have.

While the themes of the show are built into the design from the set to the costume and writing, the narrative thread feels loose and without clarity. Moments of profound wisdom seem out of place and lack the connection with the many objects and ideas that are being presented. Though absurdist theatre or clowning performance can dazzle as a standalone art form without the need for linguistic explanation, its perspective seemed lost with some elements coming out of left field rather than each segmented portion of the show speaking to each other harmoniously and with purpose.

There are lots of great ideas there, in particular it was smart to use original sound to weave the story segments together and to have an exploration of multiple gender roles highlight the topic conceptually, but I needed more explanation to tie together the performance with the loss of masculinity. I wanted to understand what it meant for the character, I wanted to not only receive the answer but to sit with the questions burdening the writer.

It is clear how much this show means to Parra. With a greater sense of timing and a clearer story thread the show may find a stronger voice and have the potential to ignite much needed conversation. I applaud the attempt and the undertaking of a highly audacious venture. 

Performances of Men Don’t Blush have now concluded at Prague Fringe 2026.

Recommended Drink: A Bloody Mary straight from La Tomatina’s very own squished tomato stash.

Image Credit: Jack Finn