one4review | On 15, Aug 2025

You can feel the trauma streaming off of Kathryn as soon as the lights come up. We’ve been primed to its nature by some pseudo-Springsteen Christian rock, but you don’t need much more than a couple of faux-cheerful sentences accompanied by Kathryn’s rictus grin to understand that this character is deeply affected by intergenerational trauma, grief and abuse. Her exquisite slide show cements the feeling into fact.

And yet, this isn’t a sad or tear-jerking show. It’s categorised exactly where it should be, firmly in comedy, because despite the visceral depiction of trauma, it’s also a clown show. We see Kathryn put her make up on. The slapstick is all the more funny because Kathryn doesn’t realise what she’s doing, and we’re not laughing at the trauma, we’re laughing at the absurdity of how she’s forced to cope with the situation.

Kate Owens is a brilliant performer, utterly convincing and totally engaging. Her clowning is that of the Pierrot, desperate for a love that wasn’t given, and conveying such an undercurrent of tragedy that the laughter – of which there is a copious amount – is tinged with sympathy. The shifts in emotional tone and plot development are driven by the character and Owens’ portrayal: Kathryn is a whole person on stage, and Owens makes us care.

This is comedy, so the ending is cathartic and uplifting, and it’s easy to see why this show has won well-deserved praise and awards.

Reveiwed by Laura
17:10 (1 hr)
Underbelly Cowgate
Until 24th