Kate Berlant's HBO special 'Parmesan' premieres, with interview and review
Comedian Kate Berlant's HBO stand-up special "Parmesan" came out on Oct. 16. Variety interviewed Berlant about it, and The A.V. Club reviewed it favourably.
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The story, neutrally told
Left · 1Kate Berlant's new HBO stand-up special "Parmesan" was released on Oct. 16. VarietyLC “With slapstick style and performative haughtiness, Berlant yearns for a time before cellphones in the special, out Oct. 16.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 2Variety says the special's throughline is phone addiction, which Berlant raises at the start with the line "My addiction? My phone." VarietyLC ““My addiction? My phone,” the comedian says at the beginning of the hour.” Read at Variety ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “her growing phone addiction, sexual identity, the challenges stand-up poses to her relationships” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Left · 2The title refers to a joke about Instagram comments: commenting "PARMESAN" to receive a link to a pasta recipe. VarietyLC “comment “PARMESAN” to receive a link to a pasta recipe” Read at Variety ↗ The A.V. ClubLC “a reference to the funniest, most revealing joke you could ever hear about the disquieting layers of an Instagram comment” Read at The A.V. Club ↗
Left · 1In an interview with Variety, Berlant said that fear is an appropriate response to the times, though they generally feel hopeful, and that they decided it would be insincere not to address the sense of the world ending. VarietyLC “I am not a pessimist, I would say, but I think fear is the appropriate response to the times in which we live, so I would say I have fear.”“it felt like it would be insincere or bizarre to not address that ultimately” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Berlant told Variety that a joke in the hour, about fathers being like a family friend, angered an audience member who flipped them off and later threw a glass of wine in the lobby. VarietyLC “And he flipped me off when I said, “A father is a family friend.” And then in the lobby, he threw a glass of wine.” Read at Variety ↗ Left · 1Berlant described the special as their first autobiographical material, following the off-Broadway show "Kate," and said the special's director, Doron Hagay, told them they needed a big closer, which led to the idea of never leaving the stage. VarietyLC “So this was my first time ever doing autobiographical material”“Doron Hagay, who directed the special, said, “You need a big closer.”” Read at Variety ↗
Left · 1The A.V. Club's review called the special "tightly-written, gleefully performed, and powered by the unrestrained energy" Berlant brought to recent films such as Maddie's Secret. The A.V. ClubLC “Parmesan is tightly-written, gleefully performed, and powered by the unrestrained energy Berlant brought to recent films like the magnificent Maddie’s Secret.” Read at The A.V. Club ↗ Left · 1The reviewer saw some limits: a gymnastics joke echoes one by Mike Birbiglia, the special sometimes gets repetitive, and it could alienate viewers unfamiliar with Berlant's style, but the review concluded that Berlant "more than sticks the landing." The A.V. ClubLC “a joke about gymnastics and “sticking the landing” that echoes a similar one from Mike Birbiglia’s My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend”“For those unfamiliar with Berlant’s comedic style, it could easily prove alienating.”“Berlant more than sticks the landing.” Read at The A.V. Club ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left2 outlets
- Framing
- Both left-leaning outlets treat the special warmly: Variety through a long interview that lets Berlant explain the themes and process, and The A.V. Club through a largely admiring review.
- Emphasis
- Phone addiction, existential fear of the times, Berlant's physical comedy and self-reflexive style, and the move to autobiographical material.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Neither outlet covers critical or audience reception beyond its own view; no centre or right outlets covered the story.
- Charged language
- “magnificent”“boldly silly”“The awkward queen”
- For example
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““It makes me long for the past, when maybe you’d numb yourself at the local watering hole,” Berlant tells Variety.” — Variety
“it’s a joy to hear her externalize it all in the consistently hilarious special” — The A.V. Club
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- Parmesan is a new HBO stand-up special by Kate Berlant.
- Phone addiction and anxiety about the state of the world are central themes.
- The title refers to an Instagram comment joke.
Kate Berlant person
Berlant says the special acknowledges the themes of contemporary life without being dark, and that they hope their physical comedy is broad rather than niche.
“So I don’t think the special is dark, but I think it acknowledges some of the themes that dominate contemporary life.” — Variety
“I identify almost primarily as a physical comedian, and so my act, I hope, is broad.” — Variety
Left2 articles
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Sympathetic Q&A-style interview that gives Berlant space to discuss the special, social media, persona and their next project.
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The A.V. ClubLC · · Opinion
In Parmesan, Kate Berlant boldly and cheekily remains
Celebratory Enthusiastic review praising Berlant's writing, performance and self-aware style, with mild caveats about repetition and borrowed premises.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 16 Oct 19:39 First VarietyLC Kate Berlant on Her HBO Special ‘Parmesan,’ the Joke That Made a Man Flip Her Off and Her Next Project With John Early
- 17 Oct 13:00 +17h 21m The A.V. ClubLC In Parmesan, Kate Berlant boldly and cheekily remains Opinion
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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