Review by Chloe Martin
An intimate show set in a cold room soon warms up with Kathryn Mather’s ability to illuminate the stage with her cutting, dark, yet relatable humour, bringing the atmosphere to life.
Mather’s characterful and informal charm makes you feel like you’re catching up with a witty friend from back home.
The Rochdale born and bred children’s entertainer turned escape room employee and comedian already has some serious experience under her belt, from winning South East New Comedian of the Year 2018, to coming third in last year’s Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year 2019.
Although on this occasion many seats at the Cosy Club are left chilly and unused, Mather cleverly works the room by kicking off the show with a classic high school ice breaker. “So, we can all be a little family,” she says, sarcastically. She makes the audience feel comfortable, allowing some elements of judgement to be squashed and forgotten.
She delivers a perfect mix of anecdotal comedy shot through with occasional bursts of darkness, creating an ideal setup for jokes about working zero-hour contracts, the death of a family member, cats and horrible cousins. Her distinctive voice and lively persona drives her passion as she bounces off the audience’s laughter with one sharp-witted comment after another, producing killer gags and engaging puns for students, your mum and probably even your nan.
Mather clearly has a knack for reading a room as she responds to slight awkward silences by interjecting one-liners that are totally, enthusiastically random, but they pay off by leading into a riotous account of a wider anecdotal story.
Her mega-cynical attitude, somewhat bizarre dark thoughts, and naturalistic, organic delivery win well-received laughs, without managing to cause offence. But despite the title, this was a performance without rage, though her sarcastic flair was on show all the way to the end.
She was testing out her new, unheard material but this work-in-progress show has legs. Mather is a joy, and definitely one to watch.
