After seeing several recent one-person shows in DC, those from the Edinburgh Fringe stand out as strong and silly, in the best way. It’s a worthy endeavor to bring in good work that we wouldn’t be able to see unless we crossed an ocean. Playwright Marcelo Dos Santos’ Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible Is Going to Happen at Studio Theatre is likable in a similar way to Julia Masli’s ho ho ho ha ha ha ha at Woolly Mammoth (though they’re different comedic performance styles): it’s larger than life, deeply present, and active, with shocking emotional gut punches.
The concept is simple: the solo performer (known only as “the Comedian”) is a 36-year-old gay man in London who’s still never been in a relationship. He’s a professional stand-up comedian seeking love on The App (not specified), and has finally found the perfect guy, an American. But even though that relationship gets deeper and closer, as he introduces the American to the world of stand-up and the American gets him into documentaries, he can’t shake the feeling that “something terrible is going to happen.” So he doesn’t break things off with other men he’s met on The App. When the American makes a surprise personal revelation, the Comedian spirals into self-hate, self-sabotage, aggression, and anxiety.
Feeling Afraid… unfolds at a breakneck comedic pace, and Matthew Xia’s direction plays out with swift tonal shifts. Sets and costumes by Kat Heath turn Studio’s Mead Theatre into a stand-up comedy space. Leading man Steven Webb works the crowd like a pro, maneuvering mic wires with dexterity as he moves on and off-stage, getting up close with audiences. Unexpectedly crude lines from his set occasionally infiltrate his monologues (example: “Does anyone ever cum blood while having sex and feel like you’re going to die?”), accompanied by momentary switches from red to pink lighting (Elliot Griggs). His choices to use his mic with self-deprecating direct address, in contrast with vulnerable moments sans mic, make Webb a dynamic solo performer who does well by this story.
Dos Santos’ story is tight and cohesive, making for a cathartic journey. Though it doesn’t delve much into the core of the Comedian’s trauma and why he is so anxiety-ridden (beyond the two facts that his father passed away when he was 21 and that his desperation for acceptance is channeled through stand-up), the Comedian selectively chooses when to “go there” emotionally, even though his American boyfriend wants to know more. His journey showcases his challenges, his fears of letting his guard down, and his ability (or not) to be vulnerable with someone who comforts and challenges him, even if he can’t meet him all the way.
Likewise, the people around the Comedian are aware that he’s got issues. Webb plays several characters over the course of the show. His portrayals of the American, his comedian friends Gavin and Josie, a barely qualified therapist, and his other boyfriends — most significantly a doctor, Michael — are all distinct, with different accents and postures that clearly define his world.
Every moment of the Comedian cheating on the American was cringe to the max, providing humor in something incredulous. It is not enjoyable to watch someone self-sabotage, but that is the point of Feeling Afraid… It’s hard to understand because it makes you ask why he is doing this to himself. Why does he hate himself so much that he can’t let himself just enjoy a good thing? Finding out why is a powerful, healing journey for the Comedian … and the audience.
Feeling Afraid… is funny and edgy, and it makes you think and feel because he’s revealing his innermost, darkest, sometimes dirtiest, and most gutturally open thoughts, immersing audiences in a messed-up yet entertaining world. It’s a great addition to the canon of one-person shows that go to vulnerable and wacky places. Life sometimes doesn’t make sense, and sometimes, if you’ve put up walls, it’s easier to make light of your situation than to actually change it. Seeing that reflected is reassuring, yet still an escape. The Comedian’s highs and lows in his search for love and acceptance evoke real feelings of anticipation, excitement, dread … and relief.
Running Time: 75 minutes with no intermission.
Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible Is Going to Happen plays through July 12, 2026, in the Mead Theatre at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th Street NW, Washington, DC. For more information and to purchase tickets, call the Box Office at 202.332.3300, go online, or visit TodayTix.
The program is online here.
Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen
By Marcelo Dos Santos
Directed by Matthew Xia
Produced by Francesca Moody Productions
The Comedian: Steven Webb
Associate Director: Sophie Drake
Set and Costume Design: Kat Heath
Lighting Design: Elliot Griggs
Sound Design: Max Pappenheim
Production Stage Manager: Madison Bahr
Rehearsal Stage Manager: Maddie Whiffin
Production Management: Jack Boissieux Production Management
Casting Director: Julia Horan CDG
SEE ALSO:
Studio Theatre will bring Edinburgh Fringe hit to DC (news story, June 23, 2025)
