According to Bo Burnham – the cult actor, Emmy-winning stand-up and all-round Netflix darling – Kate Berlant is “the most influential/imitated comedian of a generation... a millennial Lenny Bruce”. His opinion is catching on. Not only did she steal scenes in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and Don’t Worry Darling, but she won diehard stans thanks to her absurdist performances in acclaimed comedy series such as HBO’s The Other Two and Search Party. Now, she has scored a transatlantic hit with her one-woman show. Berlant may insist she’s “niche for life”, but the secret’s out: she’s a bona fide mainstream star.
KATE, her first scripted show, directed by Burnham, has transferred to London after its sellout run in New York attracted white-hot reviews of the “this show will change your life” variety. Between this and those aforementioned screen appearances, not to mention several stand-up sets on late-night talk shows, chances are you’ve seen the 35-year-old somewhere. Or maybe, as she jokes in her show, you’ve just confused her for the more famously famous Kathryn Hahn.
