Little Lark of London

“We haven’t got time!”

Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us has quite the unique start for a comedy show, with Watson standing not on the stage but in the stalls, having a casual conversation with the audience about their days. He thanks the audience for making it to Underbelly Boulevard during the Tube strike, saying he fully understands why some simply decided not to come, which proven by the empty seats for a sold-out show. After some chatting, Watson then officially takes to the stage, though he questions its legitimacy as it is only a foot above the seats in front of him!

The show begins with Watson talking about the different gigs he does outside of theatre performances, including a particularly interesting time hosting the British Meat Management Awards. The audience is given the hook of Watson getting in a conversation with a “sausage group” that led to an email to his manager – but the reveal won’t come until the end of the show!

One of the main reasons Watson enjoys performing? The ability to have control over the situation, as he’s the only one on the stage. He proves this by doing some crowdwork with the audience, asking about their jobs and questioning their level of stress in daily life. This leads to a story in which Watson was at a book event with Henry Marsh, with Marsh promoting his book about his career as a neurosurgeon, Do No Harm. Watson has a hilarious bit comparing comedy and brain surgery that gets some of the biggest laughs of the night. 

But the stories about control aren’t over. Watson tells the audience about when he had a stalker for several years but didn’t tell anyone, something he regrets after the success of Baby Reindeer! And, as someone who has struggled with a fear of flying for years, Watson’s bit about being afraid of planes is incredibly relatable, from his fear coming from a lack of control to his therapist’s comments on how if he’s concerned about a lack of control on a plane, he should be equally concerned about being in a car (why do they always say this?). 

But, as one can expect from a Mark Watson show, there are plenty of different tangents and moments. Watson makes these appear spur-of-the-moment, but based on previous reviews of the same show, all of these comments are carefully crafted, so kudos to Watson for his acting abilities! There are some moments of improvisation that come from crowdwork, including Watson hilariously mediating an argument between a married couple about the wife’s fear of storms, leading to the comment, “These days we’re meant to listen to women” when determining who was “won” the debate. 

A large segment of time is also dedicated to Watson’s unfortunate interaction with someone on the customer service team at Photobox, a company that Watson makes the audience swear to never use. This allows Watson to segue into another one of the main topics of the show – artificial intelligence – and what humanity should do “before it overtakes us” (roll credits!). Watson laments how he is unable to keep up with the younger generations, as proven by him attempting to film a video for social media on stage in order to stay relevant. Who knows what Watson will have to do in the future? He certainly doesn’t know, and he fears that his efforts will be for naught, questioning what impact he will have after his death. 

Ultimately, Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us is a fun hour of tangents and tales focusing on Watson’s fear and focus on the lack of control he has over the world. Watson is an expert at making his style of storytelling look effortless and spur-of-the-moment, even though he’s been doing the show for the past month in Edinburgh. After twenty years in the game, he certainly knows what he’s doing!

Mark Watson: Before It Overtakes Us ran on 11 September at Underbelly Boulvard as a part of Fringe Fix, which runs until 27 September. For more information, click here.