Going Viral

A year ago, Daniel Bye experienced the death of a dear friend. He hasn’t yet been able to grieve this loss, he tells us, close to the beginning of Going Viral, as if it’s a side issue, a minor point that might be useful to bear in mind as we watch this genial story lecture about disease, empathy and privilege. Of course, it soon becomes clear it’s not a side issue at all. The show—its creation, its performance—is itself an act of grieving. You leave the theatre hoping it’s done its maker some good. 

All this makes Going Viral sound rather morbid, and like hard work – it’s anything but. There are sombre moments, sure, but the laughter comes readily, despite the serious subject matter. Bye has an eye for the absurd within the ordinary, and is chatty and charming as he tells us about finding himself at the centre of a global epidemic of a disease that causes its sufferers to weep uncontrollably. 

His narrative, though nicely presented, has its lulls. Bye keeps things moving—and the mood light—with a series of entertaining and informative interludes about the science of contagion in which liquorice allsorts play a starring role. But there’s a downside to these interruptions too: the show feels unfocused, a loose collection of enjoyable anecdotes rather than a narrative with a beginning, middle and end.

Even so, it’s impossible to dislike either Bye or his show. The man’s enthusiasm, just like the diseases he shines a spotlight on here, is infectious.