Award-winning comedian Kathryn Mather’s show, Please Just Give Me a Chance, is a slightly dark, slightly whimsical show about working for the NHS, finding love and finding yourself against the backdrop of the pandemic.
Please Just Give Me a Chance is part of Soho Theatre‘s upcoming Soho Rising 2024 festival, a celebration of new work created by comedians, writers and performers who have taken part in their Writers’ Lab, Comedy Lab or Cabaret & Drag Lab programmes. Buy tickets for the show here at Soho Theatre on Monday 5th February.
How did the idea for Please Just Give Me a Chance come about, and what inspired you to create a show that blends humour with the challenges of working for the NHS during the pandemic?
I’d spent a very long time trying to figure out what my first show would be about, so I just started writing about what was I was experiencing day to day, which happened to be losing almost everything due to a global pandemic and having to start all over again!
The show promises a mix of darkness and whimsy in exploring themes of working for the NHS, finding love, and self-discovery. Can you share some specific experiences or moments that influenced the tone and content of the show?
The heavens had opened as I was walking in to work one day, so I was given scrubs to wear while my clothes dried, and everyone just assumed I was an agency nurse. The amount of times I was nearly dragged into a procedure room, and I had to convince them I’m just a comedian. “We all are” the nurse said as he handed me a bed pan.
As a comedian, how do you navigate the fine line between humour and the serious issues surrounding the pandemic and healthcare?
There are so many things I could talk about on stage which I don’t as I’m worried that people will avoid going to the doctors because they think they’ll be ridiculed and I absolutely do not want that. If you’re worried about something, please seek medical advice!
I know it’s a sensitive subject, but dark humour is a great tool to help lighten the load when in a job that can sometimes be sad, but there are many joyous moments in the job too and it’s important to remember that.
Can you elaborate on the challenges and rewards of creating a show that not only explores the professional life of NHS workers but also delves into personal themes such as finding love and self-discovery? How do you aim to connect with the audience on both levels?
People blame the NHS for a lot at the moment, but in my experience the problems all really boil down to chronic lack of funding/resources, not the overworked staff (who got no break from the pressure of the pandemic) trying to navigate a system that’s been wilfully broken, and I wish people would see that.
Similarly, I think it’s a fairly universal experience for my generation to have to reassess markers of life success (having “a job for life”, buying a house, marriage, children), so it’s been really nice to connect with audiences over this – it makes you realize the failure is with the world and not a personal one.
Then you can justify eating avocado on toast and tell yourself it’s almost the same as the sweet sweet taste of homeownership and a government who cares about you and your bunions.