“Broad Strokes” is a labor of self-love

Actress-comedienne Cat Cohen has appeared on television, in movies, and on comedy stages worldwide. She has amassed a sizable following of fans of her work, both as actress and writer. Ms. Cohen is the writer and sole performer of Broad Strokes, her latest performance piece, currently playing at off-Broadway’s Lucille Lortel Theatre.

The main idea behind Broad Strokes is that Ms. Cohen, at a relatively young age, suffered a stroke due to a literal hole in her heart. The main problem with Broad Strokes is that this story, although interesting and well-told, comes in the last third of the show. This forces the audience to go through an hour of what appears to be a rehash of older material about Cohen’s early life.

Cohen is apparently barely directed by Alex Timbers, whose bio lists a roster of Broadway and off-Broadway shows. I do not know why, but this show appears to be less a coherent performance and more an improvised stand-up comedy routine.

Cohen’s movements on stage seem random and, at times, fidgety. Add to this the musical numbers, written by Cohen and the show’s musical director, David Dabbon, and Broad Strokes collapses into a messy cabaret performance.

Not that I blame Dabbon. His musical contributions, including his work on-stage leading the three-piece ensemble accompanying Cohen, are some of the more enjoyable portions of this show. His reactions to Cohen’s actions are a surprisingly fresh taste of comedy in an otherwise mediocre show.

Other assets of this show are the creepy Gothic-castle set by Derek McLane, lit by Jake DeGroot, and Kelsey Randall’s costume for Cohen, a shiny mauve creation that goes from 19th Century princess to a more modern look in a jiffy.

At the performance I attended, it seemed like a fair number of Cohen’s adoring fans were in attendance, laughing just a bit too much at each punch line — and some not-so-punchy lines as well. Broad Strokes is apparently the show these fans have been waiting for. For the rest of us, Cat Cohen is an acquired taste.

If you think it worth your while putting up with an hour of Cohen’s stand-up before getting to the meaty tale of recovery from a serious stroke — and it is a truly interesting story, sardonic and inspiring — then I suggest you get tickets now for Broad Strokes.

Broad Strokes is presented at the Lucille Lortel Theatre, 121 Christopher Street in New York, through Sept. 25. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to lortel.org/broad-strokes.