After the 2025 debut of her breast-forward stage persona Titclown, Jessica Aszkenasy’s second grubbily smutty clowning show rolls around sardonically in daddy issues and the messy disappointment of men these days.
The straight dating pool is running dry. All this clown wants is a boyfriend, but none of them are enough like her father. As voice notes to friends unpack the feminist implications of wanting a man while generally disliking them, the Philippe Gaulier-trained clown wriggles around on the floor in an oversized suit with something bulging down below. Directed by Cecily Nash, Daddy’s Little Girl is divided neatly between these two forms: half wry analysis told with a bitter laugh, half nude-heavy clowning that bares its teeth at the ease with which men command praise, affection and power.
This tightrope walk leads to some smart contrasts, as Aszkenasy nuzzles a wobbling dildo while her voiceover worries about the worship of the male ego. Comedy is built into her bones. She hunches backwards to whip out a wobbling penis with grinning bravado, then crumples in shame to put on a pad.
These playful, inventive fragments are most striking in their specificity, though they later give way to the broader fury of what men are allowed to get away with, as more nuanced details are sidelined for the straightforward egging of abusers everyone can agree are scum. Her point is about the slippery slope of the bad behaviour we allow men to get away with, but it feels less artfully done than the rest.
At the end of the greased-up, egg-covered 18+ show, what resonates most isn’t the dick-swinging audience participation, nor the groin thrusting to the front row. What sticks is the sense of longing that underlies the bravado and the analysis. It’s the slow, tender hug of the suited inflatable man who accompanies her throughout the performance, standing in for the flesh-and-blood version she’s still waiting to come along.
• At Summerhall, Edinburgh, until 30 August
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