Review: Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen, Bush Theatre - funny and richly layered
16/11/2023
Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen at the Bush Theatre is the sad clown paradox.
The Comedian (Samuel Barnett) tries (and succeeds) to make people laugh while simultaneously suffering from anxiety and low self-esteem to the point of sabotaging anything good that happens.
He narrates and comments on his own story but isn't necessarily a reliable narrator. He bursts onto the stage and grabs a mic as if at a gig, and proceeds to deliver and re-deliver lines to see if they land better. It's as if he is testing new material.
How much truth is there in the story he proceeds to tell, or is it embellished or made-up material for his comedy set?
A serial user of apps to find casual sex, he is drawn to an American PhD student with "arms like a Disney prince" who likes to take things slow. Several dates slow.
The Comedian not only tells us about the exchanges between the two but relays his inner monologue. He is sharp, witty and revealing, with a keen eye for human behaviour and scathing judgement. He is also self-indulgent and makes bad decisions despite his better instincts.