How do you confront existential crises, religion, mental health, and American politics with lightness and humour? Not a rhetorical question, and somehow one that Catherine Cohen has the answer to. Through a boldly relatable comedy set with cabaret-style musical interludes, Cohen’s adressal of the trials and tribulations of modern life had the entire audience, from the Gen-Z girlies to the baby-boomer dads, laughing from beginning to end.
Come For Me begins with the first of the show’s musical numbers: a satirical ballad about the urge to fill the void within, kicking the set off to an extravagant but hilariously self-deprecating start. In one line or another, Cohen represents the internal struggles we all face but does so without letting the tone sink into the introspective, allowing us to laugh at ourselves as much as the lyrics. Relatability is the key here, and the set continues as such. The candidness of the anecdotes show that nothing is off limits, and she makes light of stories that in the same position, we would all be far too embarrassed to share. Maybe it’s my British reservedness, but the honesty is refreshing.
Throughout the show, Cohen makes her audience feel as if we’ve known her forever, through her conversational tone and a frankness that you’d normally reserve for a friend. The pace of the script is quick, but she leaves plenty of room for improvised audience interactions. That said, the entire show feels improvised. It’s clear that Cohen herself is hilarious, rather than just the script that she follows.
The blend between hyperbolic self-confidence and theatrical self-depreciation keeps the entire audience engaged, as she bounces from chatty tales of being mean to your family during the holidays for no reason at all, to playful tunes that display her musical talents. The songs certainly aide the performance, by changing the pace without interrupting the comedy, and preventing it getting too same-y. A personal favourite was the dramatic reading of original notes-app-poetry.
On stage, Cohen is, in one way or another, representing all of us, and she says the things we would never say ourselves, but all secretly think. The most impressive aspect of the show is how Cohen appeals to the entire audience in its wide variety, exclusively through jokes about her own experiences and observations of the modern world. It’s never too deep, no profound message to search for, but is a fun and light-hearted hour of honest entertainment. I highly recommended.
Catherine Cohen: Come For Me is running until 25 August (except 13, 14, 20, & 21) at Pleasance Courtyard – Fourth.
Buy tickets here.
Image by Evan Murphy provided to The Student for press use.
