Kate Dolan reckons that, given everything she knows now in 2026, that she might have opted out of evolution way back in the day. Why not be a trout and swim through the oceans, with nary a thought but what to eat and how to avoid sharks?
Dolan won
MICF’s Golden Gibbo Award last year for her show, The Critic, and after
dealing with some inner-judgement last year, Trout has her looking
outward. Why wouldn’t she prefer to be a trout in a world where women are still
being treated so badly?
Kate is
loud and unapologetic – the blurb on the Comedy Festival website warns of a “loud
woman being loud” – but with her very real concerns, it’s no wonder she’s
shouting. If she was a fish, she’d probably be treated better by all those men
who pose with fish – so proud of themselves – on dating profiles.
She stalks
around the stage in complete command, sometimes telling outrageous stories,
occasionally breaking into song and hip-hop dancing. She arrives in a
beautifully-detailed costume trout head and brings it back at the end because
it cost her so much, but it also feels like the cherry on top of a show that
knows what it is and goes for it.
If I was to
judge a show on laughs-per-minute, this one takes the prize of the Festival so
far. I was doubled-up from about halfway through to the end.
At a time
when we are so overloaded with information, Trout is not gentle in its
approach. This show feels like 2026 in concentrated form, but at least Kate
Dolan made me laugh. The actual year isn’t providing that much amusement
otherwise.
Go see Trout
and consider life as a fish. You won’t regret it.
- Keith Gow, Theatre First
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