The Reviews Are In For Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes
The acclaimed solo musical comedy has made it's New York debut
Written and performed by comedian and actor Cat Cohen (The Twist... She's Gorgeous, Only Murders in the Building), Broad Strokes is directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers. The performance takes inspiration from Cohen's own brush with death when she suffered a near-fatal stroke at just 30, combining original music, comedy and storytelling into an exploration of mortality and health anxiety.
Featuring music by Cohen and David Dabbon, the production officially opened on 27 July after previews began on 14 July and has already been extended by three extra weeks!
Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes Critic Reviews
"In a superb gag, she describes the skeleton key of her personality as being "young for my grade," making a persuasive case that this might be more determinative than family birth order. I could see why embracing Broadway theatrics might be a way to upgrade. But there are enough tender moments in her work to make one wonder what would happen if Cohen committed to vulnerability, embracing the confessional mode of the kind of show being spoofed."
- The New York Times
"Cohen will bend any rule for the sake of a good joke, even and especially at the level of songwriting: Her lyrics break scansion more often than they keep it, and her melodies doodle aimlessly in order to contain her pileup of observations. The joke contained in the jokes often is that the songs are funny because they are formless, but they are indeed still formless. A touch of structure or a clean rhyme scheme would go a long way."
- Vulture
"Armed with a catty drawl and versatile expressions, Cohen frames her experience as if fate has thrown her material that practically writes itself like her cardiologist literally being named Dr. Love. But make no mistake that it's Cohen's tale of woe, canceled Eurotrips, a $45,000 bill her insurance might or might not pay, and a loss of existential control. Broad Strokes is an earnest and sometimes raunchy self-portrait of coping and her insatiable thirst to be loved, whether it's by her boyfriend, her fans, or the unnamed gay male nurse trying to draw her blood."
- New York Theatre Guide
"Cohen self-identifies as "cringe" early in the show, but even if that's so, Broad Strokes is making cringe look cool. It's a hilarious Millennial saga and a great way to spend sixty-five minutes laughing your ass off."
- Exeunt NYC
"If Beyonc or Taylor Swift sang about having "a hole in my heart," it would be just another lovesick anthem. With Cat Cohen, she literally had a hole in her heart that led to a stroke just as she was about to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2023. Her wonderfully performed (and titled) one-person show "Broad Strokes" opened Monday at the Lucille Lortel Theatre."
- The Wrap
"In Broad Strokes, Cat Cohen turns her scariest year into the tightest set of her careerproof that the best material really is the stuff you didn't ask for."
- 1 Minute Critic
"Director Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge, Beetlejuice) infuses the hilarious proceedings with clever doses of theatricality, while a crack three-piece band, whom Cohen dramatically unveils from behind a curtain several minutes into the show, accentuate her jokes with musical flourishes. Cohen infuses her energetic performance with exaggerated physicality and vocal mannerisms that are best appreciated in short doses. It's smart, then, that Broad Strokes runs a mere 65 minutes. Too much longer and you'd start worrying about the performer's health."
- New York Stage Review









