Kate Cheka review: A bold comedic voice that should not be ignored
Edinburgh Fringe
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Edinburgh Fringe 〰️
by Zoe Paskett
Kate Cheka is a comedy force to be reckoned with. Her new show The Last Funny Woman is an incisive, thoughtful hour in which she tackles the state of the comedy industry, the state of the world and how she fits in, particularly now that she’s soon to be bringing a child into it. That’s right, eight months pregnant and doing a full Fringe run!
It’s a delight for the whole room, as she sweeps you along for a whirlwind ride that touches down in Berlin, Marseilles, Texas, Nepal, and Wales (for some of my favourite jokes). Her conversational and lively storytelling style as she tells us about her life, dating and travelling, knocks up against perceptive envelope-pushing political material. The combination of the two is potent – she holds nothing back, because the personal is political for her.
Some stand-out parts for me include her mission to date for the purpose of getting property (a good idea in this cost of living crisis!), and risque jokes she was warned against telling on the BBC. The ground she covers in the space of an hour is so wide-ranging and you just know there is even more bubbling under the surface.
She’s got stories that will shock audience members who aren’t embedded in comedy in this country, and fights against the idea that you’re expected to put up with poor treatment and poor compensation, and be grateful for what you get. The comedy industry is full of truths that a lot of people don’t talk about publicly. Kate isn’t one of those people. Her comedic voice is a powerful one that should not be ignored. No surprise that the bold end of her show is met with a standing ovation. Trust me when I tell you, this is a show you have to see, and you have to see it now.
Kate Cheka: The Last Funny Woman is at Voodoo Rooms (Carte Blanche) 17:55. Non-ticketed, details here
