Catherine Tate's talents are undeniable on screen, and her live show at QPAC (20 November) proved that they're just as electric and admirable on stage.
'The Catherine Tate Show Live' was just that: A live iteration of her wildly popular BBC series of the same name, cycling through a number of sketches and showcasing Catherine's acting ability in the form of some hilarious characters.
Characters including Nan, Geordie Georgie, Essex girl Sam and of course, back-talking teenager Lauren.
The scenes were changed quickly and efficiently with short videos playing on the screen above the stage during each changeover. This was an effective way to keep the audience engaged between the sketches and the videos were relevant to the show itself which made things even better.
Catherine could have easily done this performance solo but it was given an extra kick thanks to a few fellow cast members including Niky Wardley and David O'Reilly among others. Each of them adapted well to the scenes being presented to the audience including, of course, Catherine herself who managed to exude different kinds of funny for each character she emerged as.
She nailed gross funny, embarrassing funny and cringeworthy funny as so many know she can, with an effortless ability to shape-shift and play a moody teenage girl just as well as she can play a grumpy, vulgar, geriatric lady.
Not every comedy show needs audience participation for it to be great but let's be real, it can only improve an already entertaining performance and in this case it really did. Without spoiling too much, it's safe to say this particular man who was brought up won't forget the experience in a hurry... Nor will his wife.
Audiences were understandably satisfied with the show, as iconic lines such as 'am I bovvered' and 'what a f...ing liberty' emerged from the mouths of characters Catherine Tate has truly polished and perfected to an extremely impressive standard.
Guess how many people stood up and clapped at the end? Nah, just guess!
