Review: JOZ NORRIS: YOU WAIT. TIME PASSES., Soho Theatre

“I’ve finally completed my life’s work.”

How does one know when they have completed what they have been put on this planet to do? Is it when they win an award? Is it when they raise a child they’ve dreamed of having? Or is it when they have a show at Soho Theatre and have put a white box on display on a pedestal? For Joz Norris, it’s the latter. Walking into Joz Norris: You Wait. Time Passes., audience members are greeted by this white box, as well as a chair that is reserved for someone named Susan on the stage.

After a dramatic introduction, Norris takes to the stage, continuing the colour scheme by wearing a white shirt and trousers, along with a bright red headband identifying him as “ARTIST.” Now that Norris has completed his life’s work, he is ready to share what he has learned with the audience in a seminar-like hour, building up the excitement before revealing what he has been working on for three decades. Some of these lessons are more general, like taking your time while also just getting on with it, while others are a bit more specific to Norris himself, giving more context to his life. 

But, in order for one to understand Norris’s great work, they must understand his past, the things that have made him the person he is today. Norris tells the audience about several careers he has had in the past thirty years, including as a comedian, actor and magician - who knew that magic is just as fun as a funeral as it is at a birthday party? Audiences learn about how, when growing up, Norris couldn’t even pronounce his own name, leading to a silly segment in which he speaks/sings to lo-fi beats about the letter “J” and his determination to be the #1 “Jos” on Google, fighting to beat Jaws spelled incorrectly and JOZ-Tech. 

Even though Norris has finally achieved what he was born to do, he is still facing some struggles. The previously mentioned Susan, revealed to be his wife, is not answering his calls, leaving him to wonder whether she will even show up to see his life’s work revealed. But fear not - Norris has had his friend make him an AI version of Susan, affectionately known as Susan 2, who reveals a bit more of Norris’s intimate life to the audience. 

After all of the (at times strange) buildup, the show reaches its climax of the reveal. Without going into spoilers, as it truly must be witnessed, Norris has the audience gasping in a mix of shock and maybe even a bit of horror, unable to understand what exactly is happening on stage. It’s a perfect summation of the past hour, with Norris standing in front of the audience, stating, “A lot of artists are weird,” to many laughs and nods of agreement. 

Ultimately, Joz Norris: You Wait. Time Passes. is a bizarre yet beautiful hour about the joys and struggles of sharing your art with the world. Norris is incredibly talented at an absurdist form of comedy that may make one question his sanity a little bit. This style of comedy may not be for everyone, but those whose ears perk up at the mention of a “Smell Goblin” may want to buy a ticket now.