I unfortunately arrived to Tarang Hardikar: If I’m Not Wrong slightly after the show began and was greeted by Hardikar asking why I was late. He instantly made a joke about it, that apparently followed from a previous joke, and riotous laughter ensued. This was how the rest of the hour swiftly went by; with witty jokes following each other in quick succession, and everyone in the room smiling so hard and for so long that our cheeks hurt.
Hardikar’s comedy was both witty and thoughtful. He crafted an extremely clever and intricate set made of many different strands of stories, that he often started and left as he went on another tangent, only to come back again and tie them all together. This represented his constantly wavering, dazed state of mind, that was always wandering through daydreams and different ideas. In this show, we really entered Hardikar’s mind, into his thoughts and adolescent experiences.
Hardikar had a tendency to look at things from a very analytical point of view. He pointed out things that were so seemingly obvious that they weren’t – dissecting language and eveyday experiences that we take for granted in a way that exposed them for what they were, and finding the comical absurdity in them. He touched on family, friends, school, maths, on his social anxiety and eventual autism diagnosis, in a way that was both relatable and hugely entertaining for all. There were chuckles from a young girl of about ten, and tears of laughter from a man of 60 beside them.
Moreover, Hardikar was also great at crowd work, making us feel as though we were always laughing with him, even while the joke was sometimes at our expense. Many of these jokes, although perhaps simple, were said with such a humorous sincerity, with a sweet look of bewilderment and pauses that were exactly long enough, that they were irresistibly funny.
He performed the whole show as one large story with other stories encapsulated within it like Russian dolls, often having to perform different characters that he managed with seamless transitions and to the delight of the audience. If you want a chaotically humorous, snappy, real standup comedy with twists and turns and lots of laughter, this show is for you.
Tarang Hardikar: If I’m Not Wrong is running until 30 August at Attic at Pleasance Courtyard. Buy tickets here.
Image provided by Pleasance venue team for press use.
