As a pioneer of the millennial alt-comic scene in New York City, comedian and actress Kate Berlant has forged a path by leaning into the absurd. Now, in her one-woman show, KATE, at the Pasadena Playhouse from January 17 until February 11, the LA native gets ostensibly autobiographical.
Berlant has had roles in the films Sorry to Bother You and Don’t Worry Darling, and performed comedy specials titled Cinnamon in the Wind and Would It Kill You to Laugh? Now, KATE is a clear departure from her previous comic material.
”I should specify that the showcase that I’m doing at the Pasadena Playhouse is really not stand-up,” she points out. “It’s maybe more akin to a play. … I’m constantly working with these ideas or problems of persona. …[Stand-up] is traditionally [someone] speaking directly from pure self."
KATE, directed by comedian and director Bo Burnham, follows a fictionalized version of Berlant soliloquizing her struggles with fame and identity.
This is her second collaboration with Burnham, who directed her previous special, Cinnamon in the Wind, and KATE’s New York run. Berlant says she’s excited to bring the show to her hometown.
“New York is, of course, traditionally this huge theater town, so [going to the theater] is embedded in the culture and fabric of New York … whereas LA doesn’t have that intrinsically in there,” explains Berlant.
Still, she’s a staunch Los Angeles advocate. “There’s this faux war between New York and LA culturally, but I’ve always been a defender of Los Angeles. And what can I say, I love Hollywood,” laughs Berlant.