Feeling Afraid...Something Terrible Is Going to Happen-Bush

Was looking at the content warnings and this one has me wondering where on earth it comes up! And if it's super graphic I wouldn't really want to see it. Will put it under a spoiler in case people don't want to know.

It's a fantastic piece. Terrifically well written and performed. Seriously smart, totally hilarious and a must see.

A Five star rave from WOS and a strong four from the Evening Standard. Looks like I'm going to love this all over again later this month.

I enjoyed this immensely. There was certainly pathos, but I haven't laughed so much in the theater in a long time! Barnett is brilliant. I want to see more of Dos Santos' work.

Saw this during the week and loved it. Huge performance from a fab script, it felt so real. Like I immediately forgot I was watching an actor working from a script, both hilarious and hugely moving. Still thinking about it a few days later. Brilliant stuff.

I wonder if a West End run could happen, the Criterion or the Ambassadors would work.

I saw this last week and thoroughly enjoyed it. I smiled more than I laughed which isn't a bad thing, but others were laughing out loud a little too much at stuff that was at best, amusing. However, there's no doubting Sam Barnett's bountiful skill and charm. Totally worthwhile.

I went in with high expectations that this did not meet. It wasn't very funny, and it wasn't very dark - despite promising both.

It was an amusing enough hour, but i didn't quite get the 'point' of it? Why this story? Why now?

“Why this story? Why now?” Do you work for the Arts Council? 🤪

I saw this a few days ago and thought it was terrific. It's a cutting, succinct script; the thematic lines it draws are just clear enough to be appreciated on a first viewing but hazy enough to provoke further reflection.

In response to QueerTheatre's confusion, I think the story is broadly trying to comment on the way in which comedy is used as a defense mechanism in a cruel, unfair world. Especially in modern Britain, we have a predilection toward satire and irony that sometimes undermines the seriousness of our problems both on the personal and national level.

The Comedian loves the American but also sees him as a threat. The American forces him to be open and honest in ways he's never been before. The drive to make the American laugh isn't murder; it's self-harm. It's a refusal to accept that such emotional sincerity could truly exist, and an impulse to return to the risk-free, plausibly deniable domain of humor. Which is why it's so f***ing tragic (and so f***ing perfect) that at the precise moment he finally overcomes that impulse and professes his true feelings, the subsequent tragedy pushes him right back to where he started. This recontextualizes the entire play as a blown-up version of the "cumming blood" line, simultaneously acknowledging trauma while trivializing it for mass consumption.

God, what a perfect ending. Leaves you wanting both everything and nothing at the same time.

I agree with the sentiment that it's not quite as funny as it could be. The marketing really pushes the "LAUGHS EVERY MINUTE" angle, while the play itself leans harder on morbid satire.

9/10.