Telling someone your dreams is like telling them your problems. No one gives a s**t. But when your dream is your problem, then you’re in s**t. Ambition can convince you that achievement is what matters most while blinding you to what really matters. And in this case it can lead you to losing your mind in the middle of the Peruvian jungle.
Eoghan Collins is a classically trained actor turned musical comedian who uses his experience as a ‘serious’ actor as fodder for his comedic material.
Eoghan uses a blend of live acoustic guitar, loops made in the moment and layered pre-recorded tracks to create a musically dynamic show that interrogates his deep-seated need to be liked and his struggle with detaching himself from needing external validation (still an ongoing process) and really focusing on what matters in life.
He begins by de-constructing the reasons behind his mental breakdown following the pandemic having taken away his source of worth: the stage. He uses music to dress up his humorous insights into how his experience with therapy and self-reflection opened up his eyes to the hollowness of the pursuit of a dream based in the need to be seen as a success by others rather than by himself
From there, the show features an 8 Mile-esque style rap battle between two distinctive parts of his personality: the part that needs to be liked and the part of him that is a bit of an asshole - not exactly the ideal team. Other songs cover the news age cult leaders: influencers, Adam Sandler as the Sandman and a short meditation for the audience on letting go… of my specific problems.
After this, Eoghan investigates the impact of the pandemic on the collective psyche as well as his own, digging into what makes him tick overall and pinning down what it is that really matters in life other than succeeding.