“Cleverly vulnerable, high risk and shockingly raw.”
If spoken word and dark comedy are your jam, then definitely check this comedian out. Hospital Hour by Rachel Kay strives to trigger memories and open wounds from her past with such deadpan rawness it’s hard not to like her. Spanning a huge chunk of her past in one linear monologue Kay delivers it cleverly and well timed throughout. Her story is at times so hugely traumatic that unless she was in a therapy session the nature of the show itself is potentially utilising a therapeutic approach where laughter maybe the best medicine.
She is vulnerable, raw, and beautifully honest. The audience are her sounding board as she voices stages of trauma from witnessing 9/11 out of her classroom window all the way to her recent BPD diagnosis. In a world where mental health still has an attachment of fear and a lack of understanding Kay goes over and above to educate her audience about the importance of awareness when it comes to personal struggles and our responsibility to one another.
We truly never know what is going on in someone’s life and Kay reminds us of why we should always be mindful of this. She declares she is mentally ill at the start setting up a level of trust between audience and performer successfully evoking a sense of empathy as she walks us through some of the most shocking revelations of her life.
One to watch this festival.
Hospital hour runs from 11th – 24th August at 4:20pm at the Pleasance Courtyard. Get tickets here: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/rachel-kaly-hospital-hour