It takes star quality to get adopted. And Jonathan Mayor has star quality. Join him for a star-studded audience as this prince of stage and screen reminds us just how talented he is.
Bursting onto the stage in an explosion of sequins and song, Jonathan is every inch the superstar. The play begins as An Audience with Jonathan Mayor, but the fantasy soon glitches to reveal a darker truth in Janet Taylor’s Varnish.
Varnish is a solo show, performed by stand-up comedian, Jonathan Mayor, in his dramatic debut. It is a fictionalised version of his life, written by new playwright, Janet Taylor, based on hours of interviews. The play explores transracial adoption and the fracturing of identity that happens when a mixed-race child is brought up by white parents.
Jonathan Mayor has always used autobiographical detail in his stand-up act. Varnish takes a new approach to the same material, embellishing liberally, distorting freely, and delving deeper to expose a raw and uncompromising (unvarnished) truth.
This is a funny and poignant show, and a brave new departure for Jonathan Mayor, who’s still not sure if he wants his brother and sister to see it.
Jonathan Mayor has been working across the UK as a stand-up comedian since 2002, and draws heavily on his life experiences, especially his personal history as a transracial adoptee. He was the warm-up for Sarah Millican, on stage and television, and for Countdown (Channel 4). He appears in/hosts comedy, cabaret, burlesque and Pride events, including Europride, Glasgay Arts Festival, Homotopia, Queer Up North and Manchester/Leicester Comedy Festivals. He has hosted sporting events at Manchester Pride Games and the Gay Rugby World Cup. Jonathan hosted the Manchester Pride Candlelight AIDS Vigil for many years.
Molly Byrne is an award-winning director, who has taken successful student shows to Edinburgh Fringe Festival, including On Your Bike, which won Musical Theatre Review’s Best Musical in 2021, and the Footlights International Tour 2022. This is her professional debut.
Janet Taylor is a new writer, whose short work has appeared at SlaMinutes at The Arcola. Previous full-length plays have been longlisted by Theatre503 and Papatango. A rehearsed reading of her satire, White, is being performed at the Old Fire Station in Oxford in March, directed by John Retallack.
Steve Pycroft is a composer, drummer and filmmaker. He is the co-founder and Musical Director of Manchester-based Kaleidoscope Orchestra as well as a drummer and composer in Riot Jazz Brass Band. In 2020, he was the composer and musical director of the BBC’s Lockdown Orchestra.
Han Sayles is a lighting and sound designer based in London. Their “atmospheric and striking” designs have led them to collaborate with drama, comedy and cabaret productions across the UK, including illuminating five-star shows at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe and garnering a 2022 Offie nomination for Richard II at The Brockley Jack.
Pit, VAULT Festival, The Vaults, Leake Street London, SE1 7NN. Dates: 31 Jan—3 Feb, 6.30pm 4 Feb, 3pm & 6pm, 5 Feb, 6pm. Admission: From £11.50.
Booking: www.vaultfestival.com
