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Helen Shaw:My goodness Kathryn, have you ever seen anything likeNatebefore?
Kathryn VanArendonk:I havenot!Lets start with a little description of whatNateis?
H.S.:Bold.
The show begins with Nate riding onto the stage on a tiny motorbike.
The immediate impression is of performing maleness every way he can.
:Except, crucially, that hes also shotgunning LaCroix.
There is the scent of Berry in the air; I know it well.
:Ha, yes.
And the LaCroix is, maybe unexpectedly, sort of fundamental to the definition of this performance?
Food safety, Nate!
:Clearly you didnt see the finale ofWatchmen, Helen!
But the idea of what works as shocking is important here.
Do you think its effectiveness relies onshocking you?
(Do you think it was effective?)
H.S.:Hmmm.
Good question [stalling].
The whole time we are watchingNate, we are looking at lady parts!
Yet the mustache kind of covers it all up.
Even my Episcopalian prude self wasnt shocked, because maleness makes toplessness profoundly non-transgressive.
(Palamides is showing some deep clown-savvy here.
you might do things behind the red nose that you could never do straight.)
:Yeah, its remarkable how much work that mustache does.
And yet, the audience-participation segments demonstrate that as Nate, Palamides still needs to do some convincing.
The bit she does with the audience where she makes us chant Ask!
All youve got to do is ask!
I cant decide if thats too obvious or not obvious enough?
(Her director, Philip Burgers, who goes by Dr. Brown, is a clowning teacher.)
Its like, Nate, we already gotchu.
It is very clearly not stand-up, right?
:There used to be a performer called the Red Bastard who was big (?)
K.V.A.:Agreed.
Its almost hard to believe how wellNateworks, and its entirely because of Palamidess energy.
Regardless, no: It is not any kind of stand-up comedy.
I will tell you that simply writing that sentence has actually made my stomach turn!
I guess I was shocked after all!
:Hooray for shock!
But stand-ups almost always come at a thing from a distance.
H.S.:Embodiment!
Thats how we know that even though they perform at Improv Asylum, the show is theater.
You will pry it out of theaters cold, dead hands.
:Well, thats it!
WhatNateis, but also all of consent culture.
Nateis at Improv Asylum through February 16.
