This past weekend my partner and I made an overnight trip to New York City for the sole purpose of seeing Cat Cohen’s off-Broadway show “Broad Strokes” at the Lucille Lortel Theatre (121 Christopher St.) before it closes Sept 25th.
The almost three hundred seat Lucille Lortel Theatre is within blocks of the historical Stonewall Inn, of course Cat’s show would be in The Village. Usually balcony seats are best to oversee a stage (Cat’s is very gothic) but here our view was obstructed by a security bar and heads. My observant partner noticed the empty back row had booster seats, so we relocated and I doubled boosted to improve my view.
“Broad Strokes” is the autobiographical story of Cat’s thirtieth birthday gift from god, a stroke. Cat turned her lemons into something stronger. Her hour-long show is a perfect mix of standup and musical numbers full of non-stop laughs about medical misconceptions and hypochondria. As someone who drove himself to the hospital, convinced a twisted ankle was leaking bone marrow into my blood stream and believed a pierogi was in my esophagus making its way to my lung, I could relate.
Cat taught me two valuable lessons. #1: Manifestation is a scientific phenomenon. The morning after, we had breakfast at Gregory’s Coffee (775 6th Ave). We each got a Vegan Breakfast Wrap and Hall & Oats coffee (highly recommend). I ordered a small (no ice), but after one sip, I wished I went larger. A minute later the barista called my coffee order again in error and told me to keep it, totally manifested thanks to Cat.
The second, don’t insert a tampon into a dry cooch, it’s like “eating a paper towel for lunch.”
Cat is a hysterical comedian, talented singer and wise educator, in my gay opinion!
