EDINBURGH 2023: Review: CHRIS GRACE: AS SCARLETT JOHANSSON, Assembly

Chris Grace as Scarlett Johansson is a brilliant concept for a comedy show. The Asian-American actor and comedian promises that this show is not a hit on the actress personally but more of a statement about an industry that allows certain castings to take place.

For those who aren't aware, in 2017 Johansson starred as the lead character in a Japanese Manga adaptation of Ghost In The Shell. The source material was made by a Japanese artist, it was set in Japan but Johansson defended her casting as a white woman as the character is a cyborg with no real identity. 

There are many layers to this show as we start with Grace playing Johansson. And then Johansson playing Grace, playing Johansson and so on. If you think this might get repetitive- it does not. Grace has crafted this hour so brilliantly that it is consistently hilarious. It's a mix of biography, standup and movement comedy as some Marvel scenes are reenacted.

There's a fascinating commentary on the TV and film industry as a whole and Grace's own place in it. His family are Chinese but could and should he play Korean roles? 

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