Jake Mace
Rohan Sharma’s upcoming EdFringe comedy hour Mad Dog explores how he’s faced ‘racism/no racism’ and will ‘criticise/champion’ Britain and its ‘checkered/flawless history’, all from the perspective of a man whose brain has been corroded/nourished by modern society. We caught up with Rohan for a pixelated pint to find out more about the show.
You can catch Rohan Sharma: Mad Dog from July 30th to August 24th (not the 12th) at Below at Pleasance Courtyard from 19:10 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Rohan, your debut hour is all about what you describe as your harrowing/comfortable upbringing, racism, and Britain’s chequered history – tell us about what inspired the show and how you found the humour there.
Rohan: Yeah so I would say it’s not actually about Britain’s chequered history but more about the ambiguity in various situations, one of them being Britain’s morality, but also my privilege/oppression and the pressures of creating a certain kind of show as a person of colour. Mainly though it’s just a bunch of silly weird jokes and bits – you really don’t have to think too hard to enjoy it, I’m hoping any meaning is secondary to the gags and fun of the show!!
It’s basically inspired by my experience as a performer in comedy – I feel PoCs are compartmentalised in the arts and comedy specifically to create shows about trauma, or ridiculing their own cultures, and I guess I just wanted to make a show that parodied that whilst also just being silly and enjoyable on its own terms. It’s also a tiny bit about Colonel Gadaffi, if anyone’s into that kind of thing.
Jake: Tell us about what the audience can expect coming into the show, and what they might not expect about the show.
Rohan: Lots of weird tech, trickery, silliness which you can probably expect from the show description and the poster, but I guess also a little something underneath. There’s a weird story about my parents and me undercutting it that hopefully adds a little something extra. What audiences may not be expecting is for me to eat an entire live bat halfway through the show. And they’d be right not to – I would literally never do that.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Rohan: I’m hoping to just make a really enjoyable and fun hour of comedy that people love watching! Maybe that’s too little to ask but truly I just really really want to have a good laugh with the audience, before that becomes illegal or whatever. Obviously if it makes people think that’s also cool but really it’s far less of a priority then just being a bloody goof.
Jake: With Edinburgh Fringe 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Rohan: So much! The different shows, the wonderful city, spending loads of time with my friends, eating some of the worst kebabs in the world, feeling insane, talking loads about going to the beach and then not doing it – the list is truly endless! I do genuinely love Edinburgh, once you remove the extortionate costs (which is difficult to do) it really feels like the best place on Earth to be a performer – get back to me in week 3 though and I’ll definitely say something different.
Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Rohan: One of those purple lemonades that changes colour as you drink it – i think it’s fizzy, it’s silly, it’s surprising, and Colonel Gaddafi would find it very confusing…
A reminder, you can catch Rohan Sharma: Mad Dog from July 30th to August 24th (not the 12th) at Below at Pleasance Courtyard from 19:10 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Image Credit: Rebecca Need Menear
Jasmine Silk
Phoebe Bakker
