August 25, 2023 
The Scotsman
I’m probably overthinking it, so I take the question to a show called Overthinking It. Here, comedians Francesco Kirchhoff and Ori Halevy create jokes from topics anonymously suggested by the audience. After questions on Israel/Palestine, women’s football and identity politics, there’s one about writing a review. However, I’d forgotten that comedians famously hate reviewers and so this sparks a search to find “him”, before my anonymity is eventually shattered and I reveal that I’m a she/her. Why do reviewers have to make things all about themselves, they ask. Who am I? Kate Copstick?Playing with the mood like the flickering light in the dimly lit bar, and incorporating pretty much every subject the audience suggests, Francesco and Ori construct witty comebacks and improvised asides. As questions repeat, the show becomes a barometer for what’s on people’s minds, as well as which subjects are worth discussing and which aren’t in a way that’s often very funny but also thought provoking. I’m given a job shouting ‘next’ when the jokes run out. It tests my comic timing. Sometimes I’m successful, sometimes I aren’t. Our time together is designed to look conversational, but isn’t, as Francesco points out. It requires creativity that they don’t have every day. I know the feeling. Click Here For Review