What I liked
I very much appreciated John’s ability to tell a story of struggle that felt hilarious without diminishing the seriousness of his situation; I also deeply appreciated John’s outreach to the deaf community and commitment to validating sign language, both in his script (where he teaches the audience some choices words and phrases) and through the use of a fantastic ASL interpreter (who was as much a part of the show as John was).
What I didn't like
While John is obviously quite comfortable with the vernacular of stand-up, it might be interesting to see a few more divergences that make broader use of the theatre space/context; this didn’t diminish my experience at all, just a thought for further creative opportunities.
My overall impression
Johnathan’s life story gives him every excuse to be miserable, but he chooses to find humor and joy in his difficult circumstances; drug abuse, neglect, psychological disorders, and disability are rarely handled with such thoughtfulness, let alone humor
