Steve Bugeja’s Self Doubt (I Think) is a perfect piece of character comedy which uses an anecdotal structure to bookend a filling of observationist humor, creating multiple layers and sources of humor and general comedic possibility.
Like many comedians, Bugeja falls into the audience interaction trap, a gamble where the odds aren’t stacked in his favor. Although the quality of these interactions is somewhat reliant on the material provided, it is really up to the comedian to make up the shortfall, and Bugeja doesn’t do that. The first half ends up as a period of half-hearted attempts at engagement, moving onto some sort of rambling that in comparison to what comes after, just gives the impression of some extra credit work that he forgot about until the last minute and just managed to think of something before the deadline; it might as well be a half-hearted rant based on tone of the self-deprecation that at times strays into bitterness. Bugeja does demonstrate a quick wit when the inspiration strikes that breaks up the general perception of floundering – which he owns – gradually getting in the swing of the show.
In the hour of his prepared material, every joke lands and if there are a couple that somehow miss the bullseye it isn’t noticeable at all; a rare success rate. Bugeja bookends this hour with an anecdote about visiting the opticians – a microcosm of the show’s overall narrative – bringing everything full circle to reinforce his overall message of his own indecision. He has a very gradual approach to building the joke, quietly adding on little details to each image and story, compounding and running with inside jokes that he has built up with us beforehand and occasionally letting us fill in the gaps for ourselves. Bugeja’s ’choose your own adventure’ approach to the show is a certainly unique structure that pays off in a huge way, in a way that somehow both satisfying and a little unsettled in the unexpected direction that he takes.
Throughout Self Doubt (I Thinki) Bugeja demonstrates that he is a ‘jack of all trades comic’ in that he uses an observationist approach – mostly about himself – flavor each joke, anecdote or to build this character of himself, instead of forming their base, whether it’s about meeting a baby etiquette and children or aspirational advice on the internet. There’s a clear rationality to the progression of the show, there is a strong link throughout the material where even the tangents have their own clear logic in how they relate to the rest of the material.
This would be a 5 star review if it were not for the fact that the first half before the break is incredibly tiring to sit through, in that it’s not funny and mind-numbingly frustrating, to the point leaving is a persistent temptation, but boy is it worth sticking it out. Overall, it is an enjoyable and purely clever hour that passes in a blink, as time is want to do when you’re having fun.
By Katerina Partolina Schwartz
Photo Credit: Natasha Pszenicki
Pepper & Salt 
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