Kate Owens: Review of Cooking with Catherine – Recipes for Religious Oppression, Rebellion and Ruin | comedy

WWho would have thought, in 2026, that comedy would still be in demand for parodying sexism in the Christian church? Such is the case with Kate Owens’ “Cooking with Catherine,” in which a woman from America’s Bible Belt struggles to keep up appearances while, for the first time, hosting her late mother’s community cooking program. Owens was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe for this award, and you can see why. She’s a sexy, charismatic presence here, playing a woman on the brink, her panic barely concealed by plenty of make-up and a bright smile – which audiences will instantly recognize.

Perhaps it’s easy to recognize: the show’s argument, that Christian fanaticism subjugates women, is not familiar if not familiar, and Owens exposes Katherine’s own crisis (her tyrannical mother, her lack of love) very clearly from the beginning. But if the terrain looks good, Owens brings it to a glittering life, as a daughter strives to become the housewife of her late mother’s dreams. Cookery workshops descend into slapstick disaster, with a rousing skit about beating eggs and an impromptu tinfoil bandage. The proceedings are given a psychologically needy edge when Catherine’s supposed lover is discovered sitting in the front row.

Then the show takes a rude turn, as our hostess has to prepare and consume the not-so-pretty “biblical drink” that has been passed down from generations of Catherines before her. She resorts instead to her favorite beverage, providing some great drunken Owens acting in a performance that’s not limited to broad physical comedy.

The final ten minutes perhaps don’t give the series the climax it deserves, as Catherine sings a humble song about her perversions of Christian chastity, and her mother is summoned from the grave to issue a very elegant pardon. But there was plenty to enjoy along the way: Owens’ deft clownish touch makes every scene brimming with possibility, right down to the “defloration ceremony” involving Katherine, two plucky gamblers and an ominous bedsheet. I’d say the audience is at her fingertips here, but as her culinary efforts show, Katherine’s hands are a precarious place.