From the producers of Baby Reindeer and the iconic hit Fleabag comes the darkly comedic Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen at the Sydney Opera House.
Performed by Olivier and two-time Tony nominated English actor Samuel Barnett, the audience is taken on a wild ride of dating, neuroses, self-sabotage and those deep insecurities harboured by the chronically single among us.
After years of swiping and casual hook-ups, what happens when you finally meet Mr Right? How do you control your paranoid impulses to fuck it up, convincing yourself it’s too good to be true? Barnett explores all this and more in his one man show in a way that is both relatable and hilarious.
So brilliant is Barnett’s performance that I genuinely believed he was a stand-up comedian, particularly when he described the profession as “sad for pay”. Equal parts raunchy and ridiculous, the audience is thrust from fits of laughter one minute, to quiet contemplation tinged with sadness the next. You believe everything and yet you believe nothing. And it totally works.
Barnett conveys an ability to jump between characters through the use of his physicality and varying accents in a way that is engaging and seamless. Directed by Matthew Xia, Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen is in some ways a raw and honest depiction of vulnerability and intimacy presented though a comedic lens. After all, who hasn’t used humour as a means to deflect and draw attention away from topics that make us uncomfortable.
Written by Marcelo Dos Santos, the dialogue is fast-paced and whip-smart, with possibly one of the greatest endings to a stand-up performance I have ever seen. Without giving away too much, let’s just say I did not see it coming and genuine surprise and delight in theatre, and indeed comedy, is truly a gift.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen will play at the Sydney Opera House until 23 February 2025. For more information and to buy tickets head to the Sydney Opera House website.
Reviewer attended on 6 February 2025.
Photos by Daniel Boud
