Review: KATE, Soho Theatre

Walking into Kate felt like entering a modern art exhibition. Going up the stairs of the Soho Theatre, you are faced with black and white photos of Kate Berlant, the star of the show. Berlant herself is sitting in a chair, on her phone, with a sign around her neck stating, “Ignore me.” Once inside of the theatre itself, there is a sign with a description of the importance of the stage and its relationship with the body, particularly with a one-woman show like Kate. I was quite fascinated by this and it made me look forward to the performance ahead.

Unfortunately, while Kate itself is a one-woman show, its purpose is to make fun of one-woman shows and many of the classic tropes of theatre, with Berlant playing a young actress trying to find her way in New York City after moving from Santa Monica. The character of Kate is terrified to act in front of the camera, living in fear over the fact that she cannot reveal her secret and cry on command. 

To be quite honest, I found myself enjoying some of the moments that were mocking themes of one-woman shows, but not for the mockery, but for the interesting points that they brought up. There were many times when I found myself nodding along to the statements Berlant was making and was surprised to hear those around me bursting into laughter. There was also a lot of usage of on-screen videos, including moments in which Berlant is in front of a camera, typically pulling funny faces while trying to make herself cry. 

But, even though I found myself focused on the more “serious” moments, there were still bits throughout that proved Berlant’s comedic skills in a more traditional manner. The funniest bit is when Berlant plays a British stagehand to bookend the show, using a hilariously exaggerated accent and doing a fantastic job of blurring the lines between serious reflection and funny mockery. 

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. 

Kate runs at the Soho Theatre until 30 September, with a running time of 70 minutes

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