For most people, having a stroke at age 30 would be nothing more than terrifying. But actress/comedian Cat Cohen found a way to look on the bright side — she used the traumatic experience as inspiration for her new comedy/music show now receiving its New York premiere at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. It’s safe to say that Broad Strokes is the funniest show you’ll ever see about a near-death experience.
Cohen — whose stock has risen in recent years thanks to an acclaimed Netflix special and appearances in such films and television shows as Sentimental Value and Only Murders in the Building – makes clear the seriousness of what she went through while making you laugh at every turn. How could you not, when her cardiologist was actually named Dr. Love? Even Cohen admits that his name was “too on the nose for my act, it won’t play at the Lortel.”
Wearing an elaborately poufy dress and performing on a Gothic-themed set (designed by Derek McLane) that would make the Phantom of the Opera feel right at home, Cohen delivers a high-energy set alternating between joke-laden stand-up and catchy, amusing musical numbers (co-written with David Dabbon) riffing on her experience. After all, what’s the point of being told you suffer from a genetic deformity involving a hole in your heart if you can’t turn it into a song cue?
[Read Michael Sommers’ ★★★☆☆ review here.]
“I’m young for my grade,” Cohen trills more than once, which takes on a new meaning when she describes having suffered from “migraines with a visual aura” before experiencing the 2023 event that gives the show its theme and title. (“Isn’t that so creative?” she mock brags.) Throughout it all, she retained the practicality that comes when you’re an independent artist with limited resources. She took an Uber to the hospital, where she ruefully discovered that “the emergency room is not a vibe.” She was somewhat chagrined to learn that the ER nurse attending to her didn’t recognize her since he didn’t have Netflix. And she made sure that her insurance covered it before agreeing to the procedure that would fix the problem.
She also takes pains to look on the bright side of her experience, despite it meant having to cancel a European tour and move in with her brother rather than return to her sublet apartment. When she looked up her medical condition after it was diagnosed, she was giddy to discover that Hailey Bieber had it as well. And she rejoiced in the fact that her long-running health fears had not been unwarranted: “There’s nothing more dangerous than a vindicated hypochondriac!”
Director Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge, Beetlejuice) infuses the hilarious proceedings with clever doses of theatricality, while a crack three-piece band, whom Cohen dramatically unveils from behind a curtain several minutes into the show, accentuate her jokes with musical flourishes.
Cohen infuses her energetic performance with exaggerated physicality and vocal mannerisms that are best appreciated in short doses. It’s smart, then, that Broad Strokes runs a mere 65 minutes. Too much longer and you’d start worrying about the performer’s health.
Broad Strokes opened July 27, 2026, at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and runs through September 25. Tickets and information: www.catcohenbroadstrokes.com
