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Promotional art for Hot Mess
Cover image credit: via TMDB

Hot Mess

Angela Barnes

NextUp · 2024 · 73 min

British stand-up about lockdown weddings and an ADHD diagnosis.

Angela Barnes is at her strongest when she treats her audience like confidantes rather than hitting well-worn observational targets. Ostensibly about her adult ADHD diagnosis, the hour immediately gets distracted by the chaos of her personal life. What follows is a fast-paced, chatty sequence of stories covering late-in-life marriage, pandemic hobbies, and the absolute absurdity of shopping for a wedding dress in your mid-forties.\n\nRecorded on April 25, 2023, at the Komedia in Brighton, the special shows off the conversational energy that made Barnes a staple on UK panel shows like Mock the Week. There is a sharper edge underneath the cozy, wine-with-friends atmosphere. Barnes points her frustration directly at the UK government’s lockdown hypocrisy, but the real emotional anchor is far more intimate. Much of the hour is dedicated to her late friend and fellow comedian Phil Jerrod, who died of cancer in 2021. Barnes builds toward a poignant finale that reflects on a bizarrely coincidental day when a major personal tragedy and a moment of immense joy occurred at the exact same time. Directed by Carlos Rodriguez Laiz and produced by NextUp Comedy, the special debuted on ITVX in early 2024.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Receiving an adult diagnosis of ADHD during lockdown

    Explaining how her intended hour about ADHD was ironically sidetracked and derailed by getting distracted by other life events

  2. Searching for a wedding dress as a middle-aged bride

    Critiquing the bridal industry's bizarre vocabulary and the pressures placed on older women getting married

  3. Her partner Matt's botched proposal attempts

    Recounting ordering the wrong ring online, conflicting family engagements, canceled trips due to COVID, and finally proposing at lockdown onset

  4. Touring with and supporting friend Phil Jerrod on the road

    Sharing comedic anecdotes such as Jerrod ordering a vindaloo and refusing to be her bridesmaid, which transition into moving reflections on caring for him during cancer

  5. The intertwining of her wedding and Phil Jerrod's illness in 2021

    Weaving the two contrasting life events together into a cathartic narrative climax

How it plays

Tone
Funny yet moving, balancing cathartic anger, observational laughter, and poignant warmth
On stage
Outspoken, genuine, and self-described 'clinical hot mess' who treats the audience as confidantes with accessible observational honesty
Pace
Full of energy, briskly told with quick storytelling and strong punchlines
About
ADHD diagnosis, COVID-19 lockdowns, getting married in middle age, wedding industry pressures and body image, friendship and the loss of comedian Phil Jerrod to cancer, criticism of Boris Johnson and handling of the NHS

What the critics said

Critically praised as a supremely well-crafted, delightful hour that masterfully connects observational standup and lockdown reflections with an authentic, emotionally potent tribute to Phil Jerrod.

In the room: Invigorating, warm, and highly engaged, responding enthusiastically to the personal stories and emotional truth

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: standupd.com, justthecast.com, moviefone.com, justwatch.com, theguardian.com, list.co.uk, londontheatre1.com, theweereview.com, en.wikipedia.org, beyondthejoke.co.uk, imdb.com.

Backstory

Crafted following the COVID-19 lockdowns, Barnes's adult diagnosis of ADHD in 2021, her marriage to husband Matt, and the death of her close friend and fellow comedian Phil Jerrod from sarcoma in 2021

Details

Released
Runtime
73 min
Where
NextUp
Director
Tom Brandt
Topics

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