one4review | On 26, Aug 2026

Defending death row inmates in my opinion must be one the most difficult jobs I’ve heard of. In Josh Pickar’s show “Getting Off”, he exposes exactly what it’s like to defend some of the worlds worst offenders. The show is quite fascinating, and it’s extremely hard to put yourself in his shoes, it’s something that we are never likely to experience.

The absurdities of the US legal system make this show quite heart-breaking at times and it’s tricky to find humour in life or death situations, but nonetheless there are some lighter, funny moments.

It’s an unusual jump to make from being a defence lawyer to now becoming a comedian, but he has more than enough material from his on the job experiences. Building a rapport with criminals, seeing another side to them and trying to defend what they’ve done, clearly takes it’s toll and spending some time at clown school appears to be the perfect stress reliever.

This show is a real eye-opener as well as being incredibly entertaining. A behind the scenes expose on the US prison system, where the death-row inmates are literally fighting for survival. This is not in any way a conventional stand up show, but more like true-life crime drama, where we get a seat on the front row of the up-coming executions.

***1/3
Reviewed by Gavin
Snug Bar at Assembly Roxy

19.40

5th to 30th August