Sometimes, a little mystery goes a long way — and such might be the case when Kate Willett takes the stage in Worcester this week.
You may not know what to expect when the NYC-based comedian comes to the WooHaha Comedy Club in Worcester for four shows from Thursday through Saturday (March 7 through 9), and if she’s being completely honest, she really doesn’t either. But her track record speaks for itself, so it’d be safe to assume that she won’t be holding anything back.
Known for her brutally honest takes on relationships and sexuality, which you can see on Netflix’s The Comedy Lineup, Willett has some new material to work out when she comes to town, as well as some older stuff she isn’t quite ready to put to sleep just yet. With the mish-mash of material, a follow-up to 2017’s Glass Gutter may be in the works, but she’s just working out the kinks on some stuff right now.
“I’m working on a mix of some new stuff, but I’m also working on putting some twists on older stuff, but I’m also starting to look at the same themes, but in a different context,” Willett tells Vanyaland. “In the past, I was pretty focused on dating and stuff, which I still have a lot of jokes about, but there are just so many other situations where it’s tough to be a woman in the world. There are a lot of creepy guys out there, and it’s a lot of fun to make fun of them.”
Delivering her material in a way that is described as “raunchy feminist storytelling,” Willett understands that a lot of people are put off, or scared to discuss certain things in a comedic light. But going into her seventh year of doing stand-up almost every night, Willett has found a way to make it digestible. “People think they’re gonna be scared to talk about that stuff,” she says, “but I think if you find a way to make it funny, approachable and relatable, then it’s definitely a way to make conversations more fun.”
While political and social takes are a big part of her stage show, Willett is more focused on the comedic take than anything. She’s not about forcing a message if it holds no laugh factor to it, so it’s really not a challenge for her to make socially-centered material funny when she can. She’s also more inclined to the political and social outlooks that lean more on personal experience than just a parroted, watered down statement.
“What I think makes comedy so great is a comic’s personal experience with something,” Willett adds. “With a political viewpoint, like ‘Trump is bad’ or whatever, that’s not unique. But if the comedian is talking about something from a personal and unique perspective, it’s going to be interesting even if the opinion they have isn’t super groundbreaking.”
KATE WILLETT :: Thursday, March 7 through Saturday, March 9 at WooHaha Comedy Club, 50 Franklin St. in Worcester :: Thursday and Friday ay 8 p.m., Saturday at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., $20 :: Advance tickets :: WooHaha event page