Review: CATHERINE BOHART: AGAIN, WITH FEELINGS, Soho Theatre

“What was I saying? Oh yes, I’m stressed”

When you’re a 35-year-old bisexual dating another woman, you get asked quite a few questions, especially about childhood. Comedian Catherine Bohart is here to tell us all about her experiences with relationships, queerness, and family in Catherine Bohart: Again, With Feelings. Bohart, a self-described “panic-inducing performer,” begins the show by informing us that her upcoming tour performances have been classified as “relaxed performances,” which immediately leads to a running joke of her staring at audience members and telling them to “Relax” before she goes into a new story.  

The “fast-talking, chronic over-sharer” main talks about what it’s like to be dating in her 30s and how she is navigating adulthood, but she’s clearly questioning how good of a job she’s doing - as proven by the first anecdote of her carrying a dead squirrel on the bus, a hilarious moment that leads to some fantastic callback. Bohart is currently the older one in an age gap relationship, which she makes several jokes about throughout. 

Along with talking about lesbians and their exes and how eerily similar sperm banks are to dating apps (“choosing sperm out of pity”), Bohart spends a lot of time on her Irish heritage and her parents, particularly her mother, a 62-year-old woman obsessed with her own death. One question that her mother asks leads to the most reflection on Bohart’s part - how would she and her partner have children? Personally, Bohart wishes that she could simply have an accidental pregnancy like straight people, but unfortunately for her, it’s a bit more complicated than that. 

One of the highlights of the show is a story that Bohart tells that stems from her Love Language, a concept which she dubs “categorising human decency.” But Bohart’s Love Language isn’t one of the ones you’d find online, like Gift Giving, Words of Affirmation or Physical Touch. No, Bohart’s Love Language is Gossip, and does she have a story to tell! I genuinely found myself gasping at the reveals, illustrating just how good Bohart’s timing is. It’s also just a delight to watch her tell the story as she’s clearly so excited about it, even though she probably heard about it quite a while ago. 

There isn’t much crowdwork, but when there is, it’s glorious. At one point, an audience member audibly said, “Awkward!” And Bohart immediately turned on him, questioning his life choices in a confrontational yet still funny way. After learning the heckler was from Texas, she would continue to refer to him throughout the show, occassionally imitating him and heckling her own stories. 

Catherine Bohart: Again, With Feelings is a great show about relationships and choices made in adulthood. Bohart is a fantastic comedian with witty comedic timing and fun improvisational bits with the audience. I wish Bohart the best of luck on her upcoming tour!

Catherine Bohart: Again, With Feelings runs until 23 March 2024 at Soho Theatre.

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