Review: TITCLOWN: daddy's little girl

📍 Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall

🗓️ 22nd August 2026

🎟️ PR Invite

📸 Image Credit: Rebecca Need-Menear

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this show… and I’m still not really sure I’ve processed it.

TITCLOWN: daddy’s little girl is written and performed by Jessica Aszkenasy and explores desire, disappointment and the politics of being loved.

When you enter the theatre, ‘Daddy’ is already on stage, sitting on a chair — he is also a dummy. Jessica is lying face down on the floor in front of him, and I was already intrigued as to what the evening would hold.

Through the use of videos, voice calls and audience interaction, Aszkenasy picks apart the realities of dating as a woman, exploring the differences between male and female perspectives and the difficulties that come with trying to find a relationship. It’s an interesting concept, but unfortunately I didn’t connect with it as much as I had hoped. The show was advertised as hilarious and, truthfully, a lot of the comedy didn’t land, with quite a lot of awkward laughter from the audience. I do think this may actually be part of the idea behind the show, but it just didn’t quite work for me. That said, there were definitely audience members who seemed to get a lot of enjoyment from it, so I think this is very much a show where you’ll either get it or you won’t. There were also moments where I was left feeling a little confused, particularly when Aszkenasy removed her clothes, came very close to the audience and directed her body towards them. I’m sure this was intended to provoke a reaction, but I wasn’t really sure what it added to the performance and found it made it harder to connect with the piece.

Aszkenasy is, however, a very engaging performer. She maintains eye contact with audience members, gets them involved and asks questions of those in the front row, making the performance feel very immersive. And it must be said, she literally lays herself bare on that stage, delivering one section of the performance completely naked. She puts her heart and soul into the performance, and there’s no denying the level of vulnerability she brings to it. That alone deserves a lot of credit.

The voice notes are a particularly interesting element of the performance, conveying a real sense of frustration, struggle and longing for a relationship, while also highlighting some of the difficulties of dating in the modern world. It’s clear there’s a yearning to be loved for who they are and to feel safe within a relationship, but there’s also a clear frustration with men and the things they can get away with. And with her father having set such a high standard for what she expects from love, will anyone ever live up to it? The performance also touches on politics, which is thought-provoking, although some of the ways this is delivered are a little confusing and I wasn’t always sure where certain elements were going.

Overall, I think there’s a lot in this performance to enjoy, but unfortunately it wasn’t quite for me. The themes and messages within the performance were clear, but the route to get there didn’t always make sense to me, and I left feeling confused and a little underwhelmed. There’s no denying, though, that Aszkenasy gives a raw, vulnerable and engaging performance, and I can definitely see this connecting with some audience members.

TITCLOWN: daddy's little girl continues its run at Summerhall until 31 August at 22:45.