Wandering and Wondering

Getting There (But Not Quite) takes us on a journey through nostalgia using intelligent wit, a collection of 2000s references, Indian culture and relatable daily struggles. The audience is in the palm of Joshi’s hand. This show at Soho Theatre is a conversation between the room and Joshi. He asks permission and seizes moments with impeccable comedic timing whilst we breathlessly laugh, dramatically gasp, and hope it never ends.

Theatre tickets

The audience often sympathises with Joshi at his failed attempts to adapt to the times. In contrast, however, due to his wonderful ability to intellectually intertwine his humour with humanism, the audience simultaneously relates to every dilemma with aggressive head nodding and at times supportive heckling — the most dramatic being when alerting us to his addiction to sugar.

Joshi continues to land each joke successfully, pulling the focus topic into the next one (as a successful comedian should). This execution allows for the show to flow wonderfully, not feeling stunted or falling flat. Joshi’s form of storytelling immediately makes us feel comfortable, as if chatting with a hilarious friend over a cup of coffee.

Joshi uses his hour to narrate his daily attempt at bridging the gap between two specific generations: the millennials and the generation Alpha and Z. Through loud belly-laughter, we grasp every word that more specifically explores areas of emotional awareness, technological and simply everyday living. Impressively, instead of using his set to negatively roast the younger generation as many comedians do,  Joshi wraps up the majority of his jokes with positivity, leaving the aftermath of the successful punchline with hope and grace.

Joshi so eloquently masters this motive with a collection of Indian references, which play a large part in his comedy. These moments take relatability to the next level, with a majority of the audience connecting further. His use of Indian testimonies is acting as a ribbon that ties the show together — a badge of honour to his childhood in Mumbai. However, in no way does an audience member seem to feel isolated if not able to relate to this aspect of the show; if anything, the buzz of excitement propels everyone deeper into their laughter, with the feeling of community spirit driving the show forward at full speed.

Rohan Joshi’s crowd is nothing less than supportive, chatting away with one another as if every member has communally decided that they are going to attend this show. Bang on 7:15pm, Joshi makes his appearance. he is bold. He is loud, and from the moment he hits that stage, he is captivating, committing to every moment with full conviction. Who knew a man wearing a simple black t-shirt, cream corduroy pants, and professor-looking glasses could make an audience swoon?