Award-winning playwright Marcelo Dos Santos is bringing his new dark comedy Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen to Melbourne in January.
Marcelo Dos Santos isn’t afraid of the messy feelings of modern human existence. Better yet, he’s gearing up to put them all on display in his play Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen, showing at Arts Centre Melbourne from January 14.
A dark comedy from the hilarious mind of this award-winning playwright, Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen follows the story of a single, neurotic comedian as he toils with the tensions of dating, vulnerability, ego and truth. Written by Marcelo and directed by Matthew Xia, the play is being brought to Naarm by the Olivier Award-winning producers behind Fleabag and Baby Reindeer.
Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen
- A new dark comedy by Marcelo Dos Santos
- Season runs from January 14 to February 1
- Tickets here
Explore Melbourne’s latest arts and stage news, features, festivals, interviews and reviews here.
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Speaking from “grey old London,” Marcelo says he’s “clawing-out-of-my-body excited about the idea of being in Australia soon.” A writer who grew up between Sydney, Rio and London, the rising star of the theatre world has already collected a handful of accolades and awards for the numerous plays he has helmed.
Now, with Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible is Going To Happen on Australia’s horizons, it’s a mere matter of time before the hilarity of this dark comedy hits our shores.
A story that utilises humour to explore deeply ingrained fears and insecurities, Marcelo says that it’s through comedy that certain topics can feel more approachable to audiences. As a theatregoer first and a writer second, Marcelo says that he “also just personally likes theatre that makes you laugh as well as, hopefully, think.”
Comedy as a tool of connection
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“Even in our darkest moments, humans try and find ways to laugh,” the playwright says. “I think that’s really special and something that should be recognised and celebrated.”
If there’s any tool at a storyteller’s disposal that can cross the distance between stage and audience the quickest, it’s arguably comedy. It’s a weapon of relatability, one that, Marcelo points out, can bring everyone together onto a shared ground of humanity.
“I think it’s because we all can be our own worst enemies sometimes,” Marcelo says. “[We] know we’re making bad decisions, even when we’re making them. But then we still make the bad decisions, which is sad but also quite funny and recognisably, brilliantly human.”
It’s on these tensions between the messy parts of human existence and the laughs that can be found in them that the play hinges – and thrives. The idea that theatre can make you laugh as well as think is evident throughout the play. Marcelo’s story will have you laughing until your ribs are sore and your eyes water, all while keeping you on your tipsiest of toes as the layers of performance peel back to reveal themselves.
“Vulnerability is at the heart”
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“As a character, [The Comedian] struggles to be truly vulnerable,” Marcelo says. “There is a constant game going on with the audience about what is ‘real’ and what is the ‘act’, and when he is or isn’t vulnerable. [All of] which Samuel Barnett plays with brilliantly.”
“That search for vulnerability is at the heart of the monologue,” Marcelo continues. “I hope it does it in an unexpected and not totally predictable way, which is also where humour helps.”
The character the protagonist plays extends beyond the role of The Comedian, who Tony and Olivier-nominated actor Samuel Barnett portrays. The play digs deeper, exploring the characters that we all play in our everyday lives. And there’s few grounds more fertile for roleplaying than the world of the internet.
Finding humour in anxiety within our digital age
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“I think dating apps and social media generally have led to us feeling like we need to marketise ourselves in a way that’s not particularly helpful and leads to an eerie dissonance,” Marcelo says.
“’Who is that person I’m pretending to be to make that person like me? Is that me? Do I even like that person?’ I think the play very much ties to the friction between our inner and outer lives.”
The title Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen could be summed up by one simple word: anxiety. However, as Marcelo points out, “Anxiety in itself isn’t necessarily interesting, it’s actually very stressful to experience and potentially boring to watch.”
Enter stage left: comedy. “I think finding the humour in our own messiness can actually be very releasing and brings a useful level of self-awareness which hopefully makes the mess easier to deal with.”
Not just easier for us and the characters to deal with, but it ultimately creates a more entertaining watch. Rest assured, this play delivers barrel loads of entertainment.
You can get your tickets to Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going To Happen at the Arts Centre Melbourne here.
This article was made in partnership with Arts Centre Melbourne.
