REVIEW: JOSH SHARP - TA-DA! @ SOHO THEATRE

🎭 Josh Sharp: ta-da!

📍 Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London W1D 3NE

🗓 Thursday 12th February 2026

⭐️ 3 Stars

CHAOS WITH A CONSCIENCE

It's a rare thing to walk into the Soho Theatre and find yourself staring down the barrel of a 2,000-slide PowerPoint presentation, but Josh Sharp - it seems - is not your average comedian. His UK debut, ta-da!, is a breathless, manic sprint through the psyche of a man who seems to be trying to outrun his own anxiety at a rate of one slide every 2.1 seconds.

Directed by Sam Pinkleton, the show is undeniably clever. Sharp's timing is surgical, and there is an inherent joy in the multimedia dissonance of it all. For me, the highlights were the moments of pure, visual irony - where the glowing screen behind him would obstinately claim the exact opposite of whatever Sharp was frantically pitching to the room. It's a smart bit of counter-programming that keeps the audience on its toes.

Unfortunately, despite the technical brilliance and the fact that many of my own experiences mirror those of Sharp, I found myself in a bit of a curious position: I wasn't laughing very much. There were some laugh-out-loud moments, but for me they were few and far between. While the energy is high, the "jokes-per-minute" ratio occasionally gets swallowed by the sheer velocity of the delivery.

I felt there were times where a joke was pushed so far, that all the life - and perceived comedy - was squeezed out of it. Also jokes were repeated far too much for my liking. It was as if Sharp had set himself the goal of reaching 2000 slides and he was going to achieve it, whatever the cost.

There is, however, a profound heart beating beneath the frantic clicking of the remote. When Sharp pivots to the death of his mother from ovarian cancer, the show shifts from frantic to poignant. Having lost my own mother to the same disease, these segments resonated with a sharp, painful clarity. He handles the grief with a vulnerability that feels earned, grounding the high-concept chaos in something deeply human.

The finale, involving a surprisingly deft magic trick, provides the "ta-da!" the title promises, ending the night on a genuinely impressive high. It's a thoughtful, well-constructed show that lingers in the mind, even if it didn't quite tickle my ribs as consistently as I'd expected.

Although there are a lot of good things here, ultimately it was the lack of laughs and the drawing out of jokes that meant landing on a 3 star rating felt the fairest for me. That being said, I did really like Sharp and his energy, and would watch further shows from him.

ta-da! continues performances at Soho Theatre until Saturday 28th February. Click here for tickets.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Josh Sharp: ta-da! was gifted by Soho Theatre who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

WRITTEN BY & STARRING:

Josh Sharp

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 15 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Themes of homophobia; Political and sexual themes; Discussion of cancer, death and grief; Audience participation

AGE GUIDELINES:

16 +

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