Acknowledging his heritage (or what he thinks is his heritage anyway) without being bogged down by the colour of his skin, ‘I have a white voice’ Rohan says. He acknowledges his middle-class upbringing and that he feels too British to lean fully into his Indian background.
He uses a slideshow to support his jokes, may it be trying to point him out in a group of Asians or identifying a child picture of him. The turns that his gags take are very funny and unexpected. He tells us about his mum’s love life, and a famous face she may have or may have not met.
There’s some clever physical comedy mixed in which I won’t spoil. He has a zippy energy, commanding the stage and involving the audience. He recruits a member of the crowd to help in some running jokes which earns him a few fist bumps along the way.
His ‘production assistant’ jumps in to talk to Rohan via loud speaker, this slows down the performance with some meta commentary about the show – which does nothing substantial to add to the finale he is working towards.
The ‘Mad Dog’ is only 5 foot 7, or maybe that should be a 6? Or maybe a 5? His confidence shines through when delivering his material as he transitions joke to joke. He leans into his comic persona and brings the show to a satisfying finale.
Rohan Sharma: Mad Dog, Below at Pleasance Courtyard, 19:10, Until 24 Aug
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/rohan-sharma-mad-dog
