‘Broad Strokes’ Plays Like a Thin Sketch Lacking Substance

Two autobiographical-leaning solo shows have just arrived off-Broadway following successful runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Last week saw the opening of Bryan Safi’s “Are You Mad at Me??,” in which the actor and comedian drew uproarious inspiration from his plight as a neurotic people-pleaser.Now “Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes” has premiered at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and, at first blush, Ms. Cohen, who has blended standup with musical numbers in her work, would seem to have richer, heavier material to draw from. Roughly four years ago, shortly before her 31st birthday, she suffered a stroke — hence the title— stemming from, as she explains it, a literal hole in her heart.While Ms. Cohen was forced to cancel a European tour, surgery provided a relatively easy fix, and there were silver linings, she admits. She always “wanted to be exceptional” and felt “destined to be a heroine,” she sings in her opening number, one of several meandering ditties she co-wrote with David Dabbon. Her first spoken words, after welcoming the audience, are, “I always wanted to be the main character and the author and the lighthouse.”To underline this point, Ms. Cohen, who will turn 35 next month, appears dressed in what resembles a Disney princess mini-dress, a lavender number with a sparkling bodice and puffy sleeves. The getup, designed by Kelsey Randall, is supposed to be funny, I assume, but like a lot of our heroine’s jokes, it’s a little too on the nose given what we’ll hear over the next 65 minutes — which, be forewarned, feel longer than that.“I’ve been a hypochondriac since birth,” notes Ms. Cohen, who suffered from migraines for years and will eventually confess she felt “vindicated” by her more frightening diagnosis. In what seems like an even more telling segment, she reveals, “My whole TikTok algorithm is these beautiful women teaching me how to manifest,” though she adds, wittily enough, “I don’t know if I can take spiritual advice from someone with filler.”Throughout “Broad Strokes,” in fact, Ms. Cohen suggests an overeager influencer who has determined that a cabaret-style live act could really boost her media profile. Candor and a desperate need for attention will only get an entertainer so far, even in this milieu. Mr. Safi’s show, for instance, works so well in part because he seems genuinely interested in engaging his audience in a reflection on life’s challenges and absurdities.Ms. Cohen, in contrast, seems to believe her personal quirks, however exaggerated or not, are hilarious or intriguing or perhaps simply adorable enough to sustain an evening. That may be true for a select group of artists, but in this case, it leaves us with cringe-inducing attempts at hip humor such as, “My dream is to be fingered while using Apple pay to buy a Baggu bag.”Not even a director as accomplished as Alex Timbers, a Tony Award winner whose many credits include a wide range of well-received plays and musicals, could be expected to do much with a line like that. Derek McLane, a scenic designer with an even longer and more illustrious track record, is, similarly, relegated to providing candles and chandeliers to enhance the show’s twisted fairy tale vibe.“Kinda cool I chose to make a living/ Where I beg to get reviewed,” Ms. Cohen croons at one point, in a song titled, by coincidence, “Are You Mad at Me.” While I admire her chutzpah and wish her the best of health going forward, I cannot, on the basis of “Broad Strokes,” give her much encouragement on that score.

‘Broad Strokes’ Plays Like a Thin Sketch Lacking Substance

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