Kate Berlant had been recommended by John-Luke Roberts on
Twitter, and given my admiration of his comedic skills and taste, I thought it
remiss to ignore such a suggestion.
As it turns out I've seen Berlant briefly on the American
version of Taskmaster though I had forgotten. She's an established act on the
American circuit but this, I believe, is her first venture to Edinburgh.
It's a becomes clear Berlant is far from your average comic,
she's found a peculiar niche as a faux arrogant, precious psychic convinced
she's a genius. She warms the crowd up first with an introduction to her
persona, comments thanking the audience and alluding to a past as a children's
performer and dancer (and indeed the control she has over her eyes and body for
clowning is impressive, and maximised for laughs). Soon we get in to the main
thrust of the show - she's made some wildly accurate psychic predictions of the
audience (who here has a blonde dog whose name begins with 'r'?). Heaven
forfend anyone who even has a passing relation to the prediction - Berlant
pushes the audience when she finds that tenuous relationship.
This is a sparkling, bravura performance from an incredibly
confident comic, taking clowning and possibly absurdist comedy to new
frontiers. A very exciting performance.
Score: 8/10
Venue: Assembly George Square Studios, Studio Five
Dates: 17th-26th August
Time: 21:15
Price: £12.50 (£11.50 concessions) weekends, £10 (£9)
weekdays
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