Review: Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen at Bush Theatre

Wednesday, 15th November 2023 at Bush Theatre, London

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Reviewer: Emma Dorfman

‘Anyone else ever c*m blood during sex and feel like you’re going to die?… No?… Me neither’: an off-kilter opening line for an equally offbeat, darkly comedic solo show. It so appropriately sets the tone for Marcelo Dos Santos’ Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen.

At the top, we’re introduced to the unnamed Comedian (Samuel Barnett). Though he remains nameless throughout, we get to know plenty about him. For starters, he is 36 years old, queer, a comedian by profession, and we, the audience, appear to be situationed somewhere within his mind, which is constantly catastrophizing over the prospect of inevitable death.

This heavy burden is countered by The Comedian’s (at times) dark and (always) self-deprecating humour. As The Comedian reveals his primary object of affection, The American, I couldn’t help but recognise the very British nature of this flavour of comedy: The American is a Sacramento-born, straight-laced, no nonsense guy getting his PhD in Prison Reform. He may or may not also be a simple construction out of The Comedian’s mind, just as comics are likely to make ‘bits’ or create material out of events that didn’t exactly happen. Nonetheless, we’re along for the ride, wherever it takes us.

And taking us along for that ride is a well-timed Bennett, who perfectly embodies The Comedian in all his relatable eccentricities. His seamless transformation into The American, in particular, stands out. No accent notes from this American! With other characters too, such as his on-again, off-again hookup, Michael, and his colleagues at the comedy club, Bennett makes the very tough job of multi-rolling look easy.

As we move through The Comedian’s hour-long set, a concerning pattern emerges: self-sabotage. The Comedian sets himself up for it constantly. For instance, that intrusive opening line for his set; his frequent rendezvous with strangers he cares little about from that app-that-shall-not-be-named; his ultimate betrayal against The American; his incessant need to make The American laugh (to understand this one, you just need to see the show. No spoilers!). At this point, we come closest to what is at the heart of this piece: why do we feel the need to sabotage ourselves just as the going’s getting good? There is a clear opportunity, in my mind, to explore this universal feeling further through The Comedian’s personal narrative.

Aside from the universal issues the piece presents, it also puts forward an interesting device for theatre makers to take forward. The function of comedy here, in my mind, is useful fodder for the exploration of deep, dark issues that might be too difficult for a live audience to swallow. In this vein, Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen provides plenty of possibilities for artists wanting to bring hard-hitting issues to the stage.

Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen is at Bush Theatre until December 23rd 2023 – more information and tickets can be found here.