We take a look at what is being said about Kate Berlant‘s solo show, performing at the Soho Theatre until the 30th September.
Broadway World: *** “Ultimately, Kate is an interesting show but is a bit disappointing when it comes to finding its humour within a mockingly serious performance. Berlant is a talented comedian, and there were quite a few moments that had me laughing, but they tended to be in between the long monologues or awkward camera closeups.”
Islington Tribune: *** 1/2 “Kate plays on the self-indulgence of comic performance, the over-sharing, the pleasure of allowing one’s ego free rein, and she has many in the audience in stitches. Her humour recalls that of French and Saunders – maybe that’s why it feels familiar.”
The Guardian: **** “The closing stages are silly too, as the “real” Berlant steps out from the wreckage of both her big-time ambitions, and her show. I was surprised by the broad artificiality of this real-Kate; knowing Berlant and Burnham’s work, I expected something more complex or closer-to-the-bone. But if Kate isn’t as dizzyingly funny as its creator’s standup, nor as out-of-the-blue as Kingsman’s forerunner, it’s still a wicked and winningly daft takedown of showbiz self-regard, by one of the sharpest acts in comedy.”
Time Out: ***** “Lampooning hackneyed theatre tropes (she gazes into the distance while ruminating on the porch one minute, before some wide-eyed breaking of the fourth wall the next) while letting her knack for physical comedy shine, Berland’s face is a marvel.”
The Telegraph: **** “Kate Berlant’s Soho Theatre creation is a terrific dissection of confessional self-indulgence – but is her regular stand-up even better?”
Londonist: ***** “a masterclass in lampooning self-importance in theatre, film, and cringe theatrical monologues. Speaking of which, there are definite shades of Liz Kingsman’s ingenious One-Woman Show (as it happens, Kingsman just finished a run in NYC — she and Berlant are doing the ultimate comedy international exchange) — and KATE is every inch as good.”
iNews: **** “The show hits its highest points when it seems to crumble apart. The meta-drama of Berlant struggling with an inadequate tech who keeps messing up her sound cues, or explaining her performance choices to the audience, or having an eventual existential breakdown that questions the point of theatre itself are the farcical highlights that bind the show together.”
The Spy in the Stalls: ***** “KATE is very, very funny. It is gripping, clever and brilliantly self-referential. A true tour de force and a must-see show.”
To book tickets visit: https://sohotheatre.com/events/kate/