Kate Dehnert has been through the wringer over the past few years. Luckily for audiences of her show 'Echo', she has an incredible ability to turn her hurt into hilarity that is raw, engaging and painfully relatable.
A show for anyone who has been disappointed by a man (so what’s that, like 99 per cent of the population), the season almost completely sold out showing that there is a lot that people can connect with in the material. Or, they’ve come along to see Kate spill the tea about the ex who scorned her, an unnamed fellow comedian whose identity is concealed in the show but is well-known across the community.
The tea is certainly spilled, and boy is it hot. Kate does not hold back in describing the relationship breakdown, yet there is no unnecessary bitterness – every comment is cleverly crafted and endears her to the audience without ever straying into territory that would make it feel awkward in the way that a break-up show sometimes can. Kate’s skilful storytelling turns what could otherwise be an aimless angry rant, into a transfixing performance.
'Echo' is advertised as '1/3 stand up, 1/3 play, 1/3 rave' which is deeply and necessarily accurate. A thudding bass-heavy dance track plays throughout parts of the show and at times is very jarring, serving to heighten anxiety and put you on edge, really enabling you to put yourself in Kate’s shoes as she describes her life falling to pieces. It is a clever device, with the audio soundtrack helping to set the tone at key points while also serving as a backing track to several achingly hilarious tracks, a stand-out being an ode to Myer (yes, the department store).
There are moments, however, when the music becomes overwhelming. If you want to have a relaxing evening out, just keep that in mind. But if you are ready to see a show that you won’t stop thinking about for days, that will move you and make you belly laugh, all while reminding you that some men just damn well suck, you are in the right place.
Kate is whip smart, madly funny, and not afraid to be totally silly. She’s the complete package. Far too much for a pathetic, insecure man to handle and as we can see, she’s now doing more than fine without him. The ultimate revenge is not taking the high road, it’s putting on a sell-out show that gets a whole city’s comedy scene wagging their tongues, beating down the door for tickets and leaving with a knowing smile on their faces.
