A different kind of musical

Comedian finds an outlet to create while in the midst of a pandemic

A+different+kind+of+musical

When I first watched “Bo Burnham: Inside,” I thought that it was quite absurd.

 At first glance, I believed that it was overall pretty weird and not worth watching. I was tempted to stop immediately.

 However, after watching it all the way through, I encourage anyone curious to fight the urges. I cannot stress enough the emotional rollercoaster that I went through while watching this. The highs and lows captivated me. Bo Burnham has created, in my opinion, a masterpiece and it is something that will stay with me forever. 

Burnham started off as a content creator in 2005. Later on, he progressed his career as a comedian. After having a panic attack on stage during one of his performances, he started to confine himself indoors to handle anxiety attacks. After feeling like he was ready to come into the world again, the world shut down due to the pandemic.

After being trapped inside again, Burnham decided to shoot his next stand-up indoors and this resulted in the movie. 

He had written, acted and filmed the entire movie without the help of a crew.

 This choice allows me to physically and mentally enter into the mind of  Burnham. The audience gets to witness what he thinks about the world and hear his viewpoint without any sugar coating. 

Burnham also puts on a little musical that I find enjoyable. He pieces together these songs to critique the world we live in. Upon close inspection, I could see that the lyrics have a deeper meaning and address topics that everyone avoids. 

Burnham’s song, “How the world works,” Is my favorite of the multiple songs he wrote. He talks about how the world is divided into two categories. The powerful and the weak. 

The one who has more power would always get their way and the weak are mocked by the law or the system of this earth. As he continues the song, you can see how he breaks down the unjust system that is put upon us.

Burnham isn’t scared of being judged or showing the ugly truth about the world and I think that this is one of the reasons the movie is so good. 

During the movie, I laughed, cried and then replayed a certain scene just to try to find a deeper meaning in what he said. Although it is not deemed a “typical” comedy show or movie, it is definitely the one that I think is the most thought-provoking. 

It is truly something that’s unlike anything I’ve ever watched and it’s presented in such an insightful way that makes it intriguing to watch. I encourage everyone to watch “Bo Burnham: Inside” to experience emotions in ways I struggle to truly describe.