Review: WILL OWEN: LIKE, NOBODY’S WATCHING, Soho Theatre

“You will stay in a hotel tonight”

Will Owen believes that he was born for the silver screen and tonight, he’s going to prove it to a live studio audience. Written and performed by Owen and directed by Daniel Emery and Molly Stacey, Will Owen: Like, Nobody’s Watching has Owen reflecting on his life through his love of television shows and pop culture. From babysitting four boys to choreographing “When I Grow Up” by The Pussycat Dolls with a group of girls instead of touring the Pyramids of Giza on a family trip as a child, there are plenty of stories for Owen to share about his life and how his queerness has affected it. 

One of Owen’s first sections in the show is about his experience with The X Factor - no, he wasn’t on the show, but he made his own version at home. Every Christmas, Owen would have his family compete on their own version of the show, which he named The O Factor, dragging everyone into performing, including Uncle Stan. Those who are eliminated? Owen would like for them to be sent to a hotel, but instead he just has them sit in the seat with the worst view for the night’s viewing of Miracle on 34th Street. From this introduction into his world and his style of comedy, it’s clear that Owen has a great talent for using pauses and misdirection, often bringing the audience on a wildly different journey than they might have expected.

Owen is an incredibly talented storyteller, with one of the highlights of the show being his experience going to a taping of Loose Women, a talk show with four female presenters who discuss a range of topics, with a live studio audience also adding their own thoughts through claps or boos. Owen tells his tale of being the “Fifth Loose Woman” and how he interacted with the typical demographic of the show, who he describes as women who are queer allies - just not very openly. Who would have thought Owen would become a men’s rights activist? Another truly hilarious bit has Owen talking about his experience trying to astral project during The Traitors, which has his body and soul more connected than he might have thought. 

A surprising through line of Will Owen: Like, Nobody’s Watching is the bond that Owen forms with one of the four boys he’s babysitting, an eight-year-old whom Owen quickly realises might be different than his siblings. Through song choices and quips Owen is able to help the boy feel a bit more comfortable in his potential queerness, making up dances with him and bonding over things like having Alexa play Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer.” It’s unexpected but very sweet and shows the importance of having someone supportive in your life, especially as a young queer person. 

There is a bit of audience participation, mostly for one poor man who is red in the face with embarrassment at having been chosen but is a fantastic sport throughout, with Owen guiding him through what to do throughout the show. There’s quite the great bit about Strictly Come Dancing  that wouldn’t have worked without Simon’s participation and Owen does a great job of making him feel as comfortable as possible in front of the audience. 

Will Owen: Like, Nobody’s Watching is a campy and delightful hour of comedy from a very talented storyteller. Owen has the audience in the palm of his hand from the very first story of The O Factor and certainly won’t be voted off the island of comedy anytime soon!

Will Owen: Like, Nobody’s Watching ran from 10 - 12 April at Soho Theatre.