EdFringe Review: Catherine Cohen: Come For Me

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Catherine Cohen is a superstar, and the sooner she writes an award-winning musical the better. In the meantime, we’ll all have to make do with her charismatic, off-the-wall, blessed and blessing mix of confessional standup and musical whimsy.

Where to begin?

For a start, don’t cross your arms: she will spot you and will demand you open yourself back up to the universe at once. On the other hand, it’s adorable, so I leave it up to you.

Otherwise, you can expect a masterful wander through what appears to be whatever springs into Catherine’s mind as she stalks the stage, a sparkling and unpredictable musical delight on heels.

She will notice any empty seats and will make sure to declare how much she doesn’t care. She will ask the audience the most unlikely questions eg ‘So what are your names?’

She has a distinct talent as a songwriter. Indeed, Catherine Cohen is a Taylor Swift-era successor to Victoria Wood or Joyce Grenfell. Like them, she pushes boundaries with her music and has little time for taboos. Like them, those songs aren’t just clever, they are catchy and ridiculously funny. Like them, she is a complete entertainer.

Whether it’s an anthem talking about the need for her inner ‘void’ to be destroyed (metaphorically) or a conciliatory jingle on the uplifting merits of masturbation, her songs will wander into unlikely places, and you’ll like it! She has a solid, versatile voice, but more importantly the knack of injecting meaning into each word. Many try, but few succeed.

Oh and her bridges…strap in, because you can’t ever be sure where they’ll touch down.

Where the Catherine on stage and Catherine the human being begin and end you’ll have to decide for yourself. For the novel seasons greetings pictures alone, however, it seems worthwhile being in her circle of friends. The payoff could be your sublimation into a song, but she brings such immense enjoyment with each one: who could really complain?

However, it’s her throwaway one-liners that often devastate the best. It’s not what she says, however, it is very much how she tells them. Even her relatively minimal interactions with her accompanying pianist, comedian Frazer Hadfield, are excellent. He gives a good impression of being actively scared of Catherine, whilst Catherine offers him nothing but appreciation.

Ultimately, ‘Come to Me’ is an uplifting, hilarious, and surprisingly wholesome experience. For all the talk of existential crises, body parts and STD checks (whimsically folded through the set), Catherine’s message is one of acceptance and hope. When you get a moment between guffaws, you’ll see that.

Now, given her rapidly escalating fan base and profile, this could be the last chance to see this superstar before she graduates to concert halls and beyond. There really shouldn’t be any empty seats at her shows from now till she flies back home. Here’s hoping her next meeting with an Instagram fortune teller predicts her return.

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