Cat Cohen's New Comedy Musical 'Broad Strokes'

Summary

All Of It with Alison Stewart
Episode: Cat Cohen’s New Comedy Musical ‘Broad Strokes’
Date: July 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Alison Stewart sits down with comedian, singer, and writer Cat Cohen to discuss her new off-Broadway comedy musical, Broad Strokes, now playing at the Lucille Lortel Theater. The conversation delves into the inspiration for the show: Cohen’s unexpected health crisis—having a stroke in her early 30s and discovering a hole in her heart (PFO). The episode explores how Cohen transformed a traumatic experience into creative material, the process of developing the show with director Alex Timbers, and the resonance the story has found with audiences—especially those with their own health challenges. The discussion is lively, honest, and laced with Cohen’s signature wit and candor.

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Key Points & Insights

Turning Trauma into Comedy

• Health Crisis as Material

  • Cat Cohen describes her first reaction upon waking up in the hospital after a stroke:

    “I go, there's no way. I'm too young for this. I'm too gorgeous. I'm too fabulous to have a stroke in my 30s. Come on. But then I thought, this is gonna be really good material. And I went to my notes app and I started writing down everything that was happening, and that helped me balance my neuroses.”
    (Cat Cohen, 02:20)

• Absurdity of the Situation

  • She notes the humor inherent even in the scariest moments, such as encountering a medical team:

    “Everything that was happening in the emergency room was so absurd and so funny that I knew the only silver lining was that I will be joking about this. I'm just not sure when. And it took a while. I still am traumatized by it, but I found it funny right away and I still think it is funny.”
    (Cat Cohen, 03:13)

Building the Show: Process and Transformation

• Narrative Development & Working with Alex Timbers

  • Transitioning from a song-driven performance to a cohesive musical with an emotional through-line was central, aided by director Timbers:

    “This was such a clear story in my mind of Girl who thinks everything's going perfect, Something crazy happens. You know, how does she come out on the other side?... What moment might need a song? What moment needs a joke? What moment might need not a joke. Maybe...sit in your vulnerability for a second, which is something that is very scary to me because I like to joke, joke, joke, joke, joke.”
    (Cat Cohen, 04:50)

• Growing Through the Show

  • Cohen notes how the show evolved from its earlier life at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Joe’s Pub into a “very elevated version” (06:10).

    “We’ve added three songs. We have a lot of musical underscoring that really makes it feel like more of a cohesive musical as opposed to, like, a cabaret night…props and all that. I've never done anything like that.”

Personal Reflections & Emotional Impact

• Coping with Recovery

  • On the anxieties and impatience during her recovery:

    “I was so eager to not feel any of the feelings and just get on with my life. I need to get back to work as soon as possible… Everything's fine. And then slowly, as time passes, you're like, maybe I'm not fine. Maybe I'm having a panic attack in Australia because I had to take crazy blood thinners to fly all the way over here.”
    (Cat Cohen, 06:54)

• Every-Night Vulnerability

  • The most affecting moment for Cohen, every performance:

    “When I describe the doctor saying a blood clot can go through the hole in your heart and go to your brain, causing a stroke, I'm like, that was wild.”
    (Cat Cohen, 07:47)

Audience Connection & Cultural Resonance

• Relatability and Audience Response

  • On the show’s impact, especially hearing from other young stroke survivors and people with heart issues:

    “It's been amazing already getting messages from fellow young stroke survivors, from people with heart problems…when you're going through it, you feel so alone and so crazy. So it's really nice to have people reaching out and talking about their experiences.”
    (Cat Cohen, 10:36)

• Recognizing the Zeitgeist

  • On writing comedy relevant to the current culture:

    “I think anytime a word keeps popping up for me and makes me giggle, I’m like, let's throw this out there and see if it connects. And sometimes it doesn't, but sometimes...it's all about just getting up on stage and trying it out.”
    (Cat Cohen, 14:29)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On being observed in the hospital:

  “I feel like I'm on an episode of Grey's Anatomy. And I totally forgot about that until recently. And I thought that was such a funny moment. I was being observed just like I am every night at the Lortelle.”
  (Cat Cohen, 03:38)

• On her set and costume aesthetic:

  • Alison:

    “Victorian Goth Barbie Dreamhouse.”
    (Alison Stewart, 13:04)

  • Cat adds:

    “[The set is] like the inside of my head…we all shared some imagery and settled on that sort of deep purple regal color...and my amazing costume designer...which really adds the Barbie to the Barbie Gothic dream house.”
    (Cat Cohen, 13:27)

• On Broadway voice routine:

  “I'm always reaching out to all my Broadway pals. I'm like, how are y' all doing this?...Give it all to me.”
  (Cat Cohen, 11:16)

• On audience reactions at Fringe:

  “The first night, someone fainted in the audience, and we had to stop the show...I thought it was very dramatic to have the house lights up and the medics coming in. But thankfully, everyone was fine. But I was like, it's too on the nose once again.”
  (Cat Cohen, 09:57)

• Aspirations for the show:

  “I think my dream is that it was the funniest thing ever, but it also had some heart. That was my goal for this one, for sure.”
  (Cat Cohen, 16:36)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Cat Cohen Sings “Complete Control” – 01:32
• Cohen describes learning about stroke and heart hole – 02:14-03:13
• Discussing narrative structure and working with director – 04:39-05:21
• Recovery reflections and ongoing impact – 06:54-07:47
• On Fringe Festival experience and audience stories – 08:46-10:36
• Band, set design, and creative team shout-outs – 11:52-13:27
• Cultural connection and comic recognition – 14:29
• Songwriting process – 15:46
• What Cohen wishes audiences take away – 16:28-16:45

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Conclusion

This episode offers an engaging, heartfelt look into how Cat Cohen crafted Broad Strokes from a place of personal health vulnerability, alchemizing fear into humor and connection. With musical numbers, sharp writing, a supportive creative team, and direct audience engagement, Cohen’s journey is both unique and universally resonant. The episode is a testament to art’s power to transform adversity, and to the importance of sharing personal stories on stage. Anyone interested in comedy, musical theater, or the intersection of vulnerability and performance will find much to enjoy and reflect on in this conversation.

Transcript

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in soho. Thank you for spending part of your day with us. I'm grateful that you're here. On today's show, filmmaker David Alvarado joins us to talk about his new documentary, American the Legend of Luis Valdez. We'll learn about the new play the Saviors from playwright Bubba Wyler and actor Steve Stanley Simons. And we'll hear music that was performed live in Studio 5 from Harpist and composer Brandy Younger and singer songwriter Annie Derusso. That's the plan. So let's get this started with Broad Strokes. Singer, songwriter raconteur Ess Kat Cohen is starring in an off Broadway show called broad strokes. At 31, Kat lurched that she had likely had a stroke, and she discovered she had a hole in her heart. An average person would have been freaked out, but Kat is above average. She saw material in this health scare. I mean, a hole in the heart? Are you kidding me? That is comedy gold. But, of course, real life entered the chat. Kat had thoughts about losing control. That haunted her. She wrote a song about it or two or three more songs, and now it's a musical show. Here's Kat singing about it in her new show, Broad Strokes.

[Kat Cohen]

That's it. That's all.

[Alison Stewart]

That's it.

[Kat Cohen]

That's all. Complete control that's it, that's all. Yeah, that's it. That's all. Complete control.

[Alison Stewart]

Just that.

[Kat Cohen]

Just it. I have unlocked a secret Gotta love this life so dearly Suddenly I see so clearly All I need to be sincerely happy Is complete control

[Alison Stewart]

The New York Times says, quote, cohen's absurdist, hot mess Persona belies a smart, serious, driven performer who thinks deeply about her craft. Broad Strokes is at the Lucille ortel Theater through September 5th. It was directed by Tony winner Alex Timbers. And Kat Cohen stars in the show, and she joins us now in studio. It is nice to meet you again, I guess.

[Kat Cohen]

Yes. So nice to be here. Thanks for having me.

[Alison Stewart]

All right, so what did you think when you were at the hospital and you heard the news? Kat, you've likely had a stroke.

[Kat Cohen]

I go, there's no way. I'm too young for this. I'm too gorgeous. I'm too fabulous to have a stroke in my 30s. Come on. But then I thought, this is gonna be really good material. And I went to my notes app and I started writing down everything that was happening, and that helped me balance my neuroses.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, then you learned that you had a hole in your heart.

[Kat Cohen]

Bit on the nose. Right.

[Alison Stewart]

Which is so unbelievable. That actually freaks me out a little more than a stroke, to be honest.

[Kat Cohen]

Well, apparently it's quite common to have the hole to be born with the hole, but that doesn't always cause a stroke. So plenty of people will have a PFO or something like it and live their whole lives totally healthy. But occasionally, if you're a unique gal like me, it will lead to an amazing stroke or tia.

[Alison Stewart]

Tia?

[Kat Cohen]

Oh, yes, a tia. Yes, yes.

[Alison Stewart]

You said that you started thinking about it right away as material. Seriously, did you think about it right away?

[Kat Cohen]

Well, everything that was happening in the emergency room was so absurd and so funny that I knew the only silver lining was that I will be joking about this. I'm just not sure when. And it took a while. I still am traumatized by it, but I found it funny right away and I still think it is funny.

[Alison Stewart]

Did you go back over your diaries and journals and what did you learn had happened during that time that maybe you forgot?

[Kat Cohen]

Yeah, I had taken a bunch of notes, a lot of like direct quotes from nurses and doctors that I found funny. Or just. I remember one time I woke up in the hospital that morning and the nurse was like, do you mind if these student doctors come and observe you? And I was like, yeah. And then I was like, I feel like I'm on an episode of Grey's Anatomy. And I totally forgot about that until recently. And I thought that was such a funny moment. I was being observed just like I am every night at the Lortelle.

[Alison Stewart]

True. Well, how's it going, first of all?

[Kat Cohen]

Oh my God. It's going amazing, but it's crazy. It's very intense. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

You have a huge bottle of water next to you.

[Kat Cohen]

I know.

[Alison Stewart]

Because you sing a lot in this show.

[Kat Cohen]

I can't stop. I can't stop singing. I can't stop talking. Yeah, it's me just going off a mile a minute for an hour. And I've done many one person shows before, but never something with these resources. The set, the lighting, the full band. I just feel so lucky to have these amazing resources at my disposal. And to have timbers directing has just been unbelievable.

[Alison Stewart]

You realized you had to have a narrative for the show. It could have been song, song, song, song, but you had to have a narrative overarching. When did the narrative come to you and was it obvious?

[Kat Cohen]

Yeah, I think shows I've done in the past have kind of been a hodgepodge of different themes and ideas. And this was such a clear story in my mind of Girl who thinks everything's going perfect, Something crazy happens. You know, how does she come out on the other side? It was a very clear arc. And working with Alex was so amazing because he helped me really see, okay, what moment might need a song? What moment needs a joke? What moment might need not a joke. Maybe in this second. Sit in your vulnerability for a second, which is something that is very scary to me because I like to joke, joke, joke, joke, joke. So that was a really fun process.

[Alison Stewart]

How did it feel to let the audience know what was going on in your personal life and your medical life? Because people are kind of private about that, I guess.

[Kat Cohen]

I've been doing standup and talking about every secret I've ever had for so long that this actually feels less embarrassing than things I've discussed in the past. I'm like, it's not my fault. I went through this otherwise, you know, in the past, I've talked about horrible dating mishaps, awful things I've done. This is just me saying, hey, isn't this crazy? This happened to me.

[Alison Stewart]

Did anyone try to talk you out

[Kat Cohen]

of it, doing the show? No. No. I think, you know, I'm lucky to have very supportive friends and family, and they're all on board.

[Alison Stewart]

You know, the show came up through the Fringe Festival, and it came up at Joe's Pub. How is the show different than what we may have seen months ago?

[Kat Cohen]

Yeah, honestly, I did it, so I did it last summer at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, and to me, now, it feels like a totally different show interest. We've added three songs. We have a lot of musical underscoring that really makes it feel like more of a cohesive musical as opposed to, like, a cabaret night. And we also have, you know, I've never done blocking and a little bit of choreo and props and all that. I've never done anything like that. So to me, it feels like a very elevated version of what I was doing last summer.

[Alison Stewart]

We're talking about the off Broadway show Broad Stroke, starring Kat Cohen, about her real life health healthcare battle. It's at the Lucille Lortel Theater until September 5th. When you were going through this recovery, what was it like for you?

[Kat Cohen]

Gosh, I was so eager to not feel any of the feelings and just get on with my life. I was already upset that I'd had to cancel a lot of work, and I was like, I need to get back to work as soon as possible. Everything's fine. Everything's fine. And then slowly, as time passes, you're like, maybe I'm not fine. Maybe I'm having a panic attack in Australia because I had to take crazy blood thinners to fly all the way over here. Maybe I should have taking a little bit more time off. But then you work through it, and I'm still working through it every night on stage.

[Alison Stewart]

Personally, are there any long term effects for you?

[Kat Cohen]

You know, I've been told I'm totally healthy, but mentally, I'm definitely, like, as neurotic as ever, I think. And talking about it every night definitely brings up some stuff, I'm sure. Yeah. And I'm hoping by the end of this process, it feels like, okay, I really worked through that and I'm over it.

[Alison Stewart]

What part seems to get you every night that you have that little moment?

[Kat Cohen]

You know, I think when I describe the doctor saying a blood clot can go through the hole in your heart and go to your brain, causing a stroke, I'm like, that was wild.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah.

[Kat Cohen]

Oh, gosh. Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

When you think about it, part of the show we learn is you're sort of like, you said you had to cancel everything. You were supposed to go to the Fringe Festival when this happened. Why was canceling. So we know why it's hard for you financially, but why was it so hard for you to cancel?

[Kat Cohen]

I just love what I do, and I love the Fringe Festival. I love performing. And it's such a bummer to be home alone not knowing when you're gonna get to be out in the world doing your thing again.

[Alison Stewart]

Although you weren't home necessarily. I know I'm giving away a little bit.

[Kat Cohen]

You didn't necessarily go home in classic New York fashion. I had a subletter while I was getting this surgery, so I stayed at my brother's apartment, which is a whole

[Alison Stewart]

other show in itself.

[Kat Cohen]

I know, right?

[Alison Stewart]

It's interesting because you did Broad Strokes, was it last summer at the Fringe Festival. Did that feel like coming full circle in a way?

[Kat Cohen]

Totally. I actually had gone back the year before and did the shows I'd missed, and then coming back with the story about that felt very full circle and really special. And, you know, I've been working with the same producers over there for a long time, and it was just a really magical moment.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, I've heard the Fringe Festival is very interesting because you perform the show a lot. Can you tell us a little bit about the Fringe Festival?

[Kat Cohen]

It's the largest arts festival in the world. It's so special. There's shows in every corner bar, lecture hall, room, theater store, anything, any space in the City becomes a performance space, and people are putting up work every night. So you go from. People from all over the world, show up in Edinburgh, and you do your show every night for a month.

[Alison Stewart]

And you'll see it every night for a month.

[Kat Cohen]

Yeah. Most people take one night off. I. After my first summer, I go, I'm taking one night off a week. Yeah. Let's not be crazy here. Let's respect. Let's respect the process.

[Alison Stewart]

Did you have any sort of, oh, that doesn't work moments in Edinburgh, and then did you have any, like, oh, I got it. This. This is right.

[Kat Cohen]

Well, the first night, someone fainted in the audience, and we had to stop the show because I think we didn't really. Maybe we didn't say in the pamphlet, like, we're gonna talk about medical things. And I think some people, you know, when they hear about a needle or something, are really overwhelmed. And I thought it was very dramatic to have the house lights up and the medics coming in.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh, wow. It's part of the show.

[Kat Cohen]

No, fully. I know. But thankfully, everyone was fine. But I was like, it's too on the nose once again.

[Alison Stewart]

But that must have told you that the show was going to have bigger ramifications than you would think it would, that it would affect people in a very different way than a usual Cat Cohen show.

[Kat Cohen]

I think so. I think it's been amazing already getting messages from fellow young stroke survivors, from people with heart problems, from people who said, oh, my sister did that, or my cousin, or whatever. You know, it's very common. And when you're going through it, you feel so alone and so crazy. So it's really nice to have people reaching out and talking about their experiences.

[Alison Stewart]

We're talking about the Off Broadway show Broad Strokes, starring Kat Cohen. It's at the Lucille Lortel Theater until September 5th. You have a big. Your voice is beautiful.

[Kat Cohen]

Thank you.

[Alison Stewart]

In the show, you sing so much. I've seen you in other times, and you have sort of a comic voice you use sometimes, but you really get to use sort of the breadth of your voice. What kind of vocal work did you do?

[Kat Cohen]

Yeah, I. Gosh, I grew up, you know, doing musical theater, taking voice lessons. I've worked with some vocal therapists over the years, and I just am really vigilant about vocal rest and hydrating and warming up and warming down and steaming and nebulizing and all the tricks and tips. And I'm always reaching out to all my Broadway pals. I'm like, how are y' all Doing this. I'm like, send me every bit of information you have, every supplement. Ginger, garlic, oregano, you know, I'm like, give it, give me all. Give it all to me. Give it all to me.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah. Tell us about your band.

[Kat Cohen]

Oh, aren't they amazing?

[Alison Stewart]

They're really amazing. Yeah.

[Kat Cohen]

David Dabin, who I wrote all the songs with, music, directed the show and he built these unbelievable tracks that make a three piece band sound like a 12 piece orchestra. It's just I'm in total awe of the work he's done on the show. And yeah, we have Ben Weiss on guitar, Spencer Cohen on drums, David Davin on the keys and they rock out.

[Alison Stewart]

How did you hook up with Tony winner Alex Timbers?

[Kat Cohen]

Oh my God.

[Alison Stewart]

Moulin Rouge fame. Just in time.

[Kat Cohen]

He is the best ever guy beyond. Not only is he brilliant, hilarious, generous, he's also so nice and such a good hang. I feel so lucky. I think he reached out to me a few years ago after he saw the Netflix special and we just had one of those, oh, let's meet and get to know each other. And you know, if something comes up, something comes up. And then when I had this show, I was like, let's definitely see if he's interested. And so we had a coffee and started working together dramaturgically on it last spring, I guess 2025. And then my amazing producers Mike and Carly came on board and we all started rehearsing End of June, I walked

[Alison Stewart]

in and I looked at it and I said, that's an Alex Timber set. I wrote down, I wrote my notes. Victorian Goth Barbie Dreamhouse.

[Kat Cohen]

Exactly. It's like the inside of my head. Derek McLean built the set, designed the set and is such a genius and I feel so honored to work with such talented.

[Alison Stewart]

What did you tell them that you wanted to have on the set?

[Kat Cohen]

I think I knew. You know, the opening song by the Sea talks about wanting to be a woman by the seaside who can finally just rest like an old timey romance novel gal. And so I knew I wanted some sort of castle, some sort of Wuthering Heights architecture, the moors. And I made like a couple Pinterest boards. Then we all shared some imagery and settled on that sort of deep purple regal color. And then my amazing costume designer, Kelsey Randall designed the corset bodice miniskirt moment, which really adds the Barbie to the Barbie Gothic dream house.

[Alison Stewart]

It's interesting cause you're sort of a topical performer sometimes and you come out wearing the, like you said, the bodice. And it's a beautiful Tutu, costume, like, thing. And you ask the audience, do you like it? It's vintage. Which is decidedly not a vintage piece. But it's so of the mom and it gets a big laugh. What do you look for when you look for a moment of recognition? Something in the culture that could lead to a laugh.

[Kat Cohen]

Ooh. I think anytime a word keeps popping up for me and makes me giggle, I'm like, let's throw this out there and see if it connects. And sometimes it doesn't, but sometimes I'll say something that's just sort of in the zeitgeist and it really hits. And I'm like, wow, that hit a lot harder than I thought. So it's all about just getting up on stage and trying it out.

[Alison Stewart]

What was it like to work with Alex Timbers as a director? What kind of advice suggestion did he give that you really work with every night?

[Kat Cohen]

Oh, my gosh. I mean, he really just elevated the show to a place I could never have dreamed of. I think the first major thing he brought to the show was just deciding, basically going through line by line and saying which of these will be served by musical underscoring which of these lines won't, and really making it feel like a cohesive story and making it feel like a musical and making it feel like this is the opening number. This is the I Want song. You know, those classic things you see when you go see a Broadway show. And he really helped me sculpt the show in that way. And I remember a while ago he was like, I really think you need a song here. And I was like, I don't want to write another song. I'm done. And then I was like, fine. And then when I did, I was like, wow, that really elevated the show and brought the whole thing together.

[Alison Stewart]

That's so interesting. This is such a classic question, but, like, what is your process for writing songs?

[Kat Cohen]

I usually start with like a line for a chorus or a hook, and then I come up with the melody, and then I go meet up with David and I sing the melody line, I sing the lyrics, and he'll come in with some beautiful chords and we'll just work it out in his apartment.

[Alison Stewart]

You mentioned earlier that people come up to you and they want to talk to you about their experiences. What if people told you about their. Their medical experiences after this show?

[Kat Cohen]

I think a lot of it's been a lot of young people just saying, I went through this crazy thing. And I remember a girl came out to me and she was like, oh, my God, I had to Google where a hospital was too. I'm like, girl, we're both on Google Maps looking out, looking at the hospital. Like, we're so modern.

[Alison Stewart]

When you think about the show, what do you hope that people walk away talking about or having a drink over and discussing about the show?

[Kat Cohen]

I think my dream is that it was the funniest thing ever, but it also had some heart. That was my goal for this one, for sure.

[Alison Stewart]

When you say heart, what do you mean?

[Kat Cohen]

Some real moments of truth and vulnerability and some real. I really want it to feel like a a true story where in the past I've just been focused on the jokes.

[Alison Stewart]

The name of the show is Broad Strokes. It's at the Lucille Lortel Theater until September 5th. My guest has been Kat Cohen. Kat Cohen. The show is really great. Everybody go see it. I really enjoyed it.

[Kat Cohen]

Thank you so much. Blowing ad budget on metrics that look great till the CFO sees them. That's bullspend. And marketers are calling it out.

[Alison Stewart]

In Dashboard Confessions. I remember telling my boss, it'll be good for the brand when leads were slow.

[Kat Cohen]

Yeah, it wasn't.

[Alison Stewart]

Cut the bull.

[Kat Cohen]

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[Alison Stewart]

rebound Modelo or that just clocked out Modelo That Modelo you earned is just better.

[Kat Cohen]

That Modelo is the mark of a fighter.

[Alison Stewart]

Drake Responsibly here imported by Crowningport, Chicago, Illinois.