Josh Sharp: ta-da! | Soho Theatre

Josh Sharp does the impossible, in his show Josh Sharp: ta-da!, proving that there is no limits to the creativity of a comedian. Directed by Sam Pinkleton, Sharp's 75 minutes show is unlike any other as he challenges himself to reach the impossible. Powering through 2000 PowerPoint slides whilst retaining the sole focus of the audience. 

Sharp proves his capability, with an infectiously joyful stage presence and a dynamic performance. Sharp's boundless excitement ahead of the daunting challenge has the audience riveted from the moment he walks on stage, with the entire room rooting for him. Whilst at first, the absurdity makes up for most of the comedy, with Sharp's frantic repetition of welcoming the audience (with accompanying slides), but it slowly veers away from the obvious, treating audiences to Sharp's own wit. The show also touches upon the meaning of morality (especially with a rather moving but still amusing portion about his late mother), his own coming out and sexuality and the political unrest in America. Sharp never shies away from unflattering topics, ever aware that his honesty is more important that his likeability, which ironically causes the audiences to like him more. 

The staging is simple for Sharp's show, with a large screen behind him that displays each of the slides. Sharp has a clicker in hand, which he uses with childlike glee as he races through the 2000 slides. These slides take on a life of their own, proving to be more than accompanying subtitles, with the use of different fonts, colours, sizes, spellings and grammar that truly does change the intention of each slide. Paired with varying accents and context, Sharp and his slides are one of the most creative comedic combos one could ever hope to witness. 

Sharp also uses these slides to gently test the audiences as well, occasionally having the slides divert with their own jokes, whilst performing entirely different material. As Sharp likens it, it's not much different from scrolling on one's phone whilst watching a movie, and sure enough the audience are able to enjoy the duality of these moments with a more concentrated appreciation. Sharp also frequently gives audiences a glimpse into the hilarious details that have gone into these slides, by revealing portions of his script or a screenshot of the numbering process (Video co-design by Stivo Arnoczy).

This crazy PowerPoint, along with the frenzy that it causes in Sharp, is amusing on its own and well worth watching, but Sharp goes above and beyond in his less manic moments of stand up comedy, and as the show's name suggests, magic. Sharp's love for magic, particularly card tricks, emerged as a child and culminates in an mind-blowing finale that neatly ties the show together. 

Josh Sharp takes audiences on a fun evening of comedy, insanity and magic, creating a show that is dazzling and impressive on all fronts.

Josh Sharp: ta-da! is currently playing at Soho Theatre until 7th March 2026 - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★★★★ (5*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review