'Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes' Off-Broadway review — a cabaret comedy show with a hole lot of heart

Read our review of Broad Strokes, a musical comedy solo show written and performed by Cat Cohen about her experience having a stroke at age 30.

Summary

• Cat Cohen discusses her experience having a stroke at age 30 in her solo show Broad Strokes
• The act includes numerous catchy and '80s-flavored musical numbers as part of Cohen's signature cabaret comedy style
• The show is recommended for fans of Cohen's past work and of stories that use humor to cope with medical difficulties

A stroke diagnosis at age 30 is a cause for bragging rights — and mortal fear. If women tend to have their pains dismissed by medics, a doctor’s diagnosis can be a positive sign of belief. Case in point: Cat Cohen’s untimely graduation from “hypochrondriac” to “young woman with a stroke.” In her solo musical Broad Strokes, the award-winning comedian gets both fun and vulnerable about her patent foramen ovale (PFO): a hole in her heart.

“So ahead of the curve, so forward-thinking, a stroke at 30,” she muses. And Broad Strokes, running a tight 70 minutes under Alex Timbers’s direction, is anything but a broad or wallowing affair. Eschewing the minimalist scenery one might expect from a cabaret comedy show, the stage becomes a bespoke Gothic chamber (scenic design by Derek McLane; lighting by Jake DeGroot) in the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Cohen enters in dramatic diva fashion in a ruffled, puffed-sleeved Victorian Gothic chic dress (a splendid costume design by Kelsey Randall) for her opening number, “By The Sea.” The bop, which pays tribute to "hysteric" women, plunges you headfirst into her magnetic vanity. She’s the kind of gal who would shove aside the queens of Six or the current Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary! just to steal the spotlight.

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.

Cohen's songs, co-written with David Dabbon, take flight. The pair have a knack for earwormy choruses, and their tunes affectionately emulate '80s pop flavors. It's all buoyed by Corey Spencer’s smooth sound design, enhancing all the textures of the three-piece onstage band. By her 11 o’clock number “Normal Girl,” Cohen misses no laughs as she claws her way into the hearts of her fans.

Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes summary

Since age 12, comedian Cat Cohen has struggled with migraines. One day in 2023, at age 30, she discovers her arm cannot move. It turns out, she had a stroke, and it leads to the discovery of a hole in her heart. How does a woman who prides herself on being “young for her grade” cope with this? Despite reeling when an acting coach once called her a “normal girl,” Cohen considers that she might want to be normal after all.

What to expect at Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes

When you enter the Lortel, the curtain-draped, baroque Gothic lair complete with a throne might disorient you. Where are we? Is this a production of Dracula? Is this an Off-Broadway Phantom of the Opera revival (that’s not Masquerade)? Nope, it’s just Cat Cohen’s throne room. It befits Cohen's Gothic-inspired comparison between herself and the dramatic women of literary classics who are prescribed a mental health retreat by the sea. It’s almost a shock Cohen doesn't rise out of a casket.

What audiences are saying about Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes

As of writing, Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes has a 91% audience approval score on Show-Score, averaged from 74 reviews from theatregoers.

• “Funny and fairly unhinged one-woman act. Not 100% my sense of humor, but I love the energy." - Show-Score user Charmaine A
• “Just go! It's that good. Go twice.” - Show-Score user Dan
• “An extremely clever, zany show about serious things, told in a totally tongue-in-cheek way, and through song! It's unique to find shows that strike the balance in storytelling and clearly [that] is Cat Cohen[']s thing.” - Show-Score user Sonal A

Read more audience reviews of Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes on Show-Score.

Who should see Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes

• If you have undergone the anxiety of an MRI or any medical scare, you’ll relate to her discussion of the experience. (But no, Cat, I did not get my MRI results texted to me.) Not unlike Mike Birbiglia’s Netflix special The Old Man and the Pool, Broad Strokes uses comedy as a coping mechanism for health struggles.
• Fans of Cat Cohen’s comedy work, whether in stand-up (The Twist...? She's Gorgeous on Netflix) or her TV acting work (Only Murders in the Building, Search Party), will want to see her latest project.
• For the newbies to Cat Cohen’s comedy, Broad Strokes is a solid gateway into her style, which contains lots of humor aimed at millennials and Gen Z.

Learn more about Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes off Broadway

How does a comedian like Cat Cohen make a premature stroke a life-affirming musical? Serving the raunch, Broad Strokes is a tour de force by a beloved diva high on confessional musical comedy and an intoxicating pop score.

Learn more and get Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes tickets on New York Theatre Guide. Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes is at the Lucille Lortel Theatre through September 5.

Photo credit: Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes off Broadway. (Photos by Matthew Murphy)