Caitlin Cook graces the Komedia Studio stage with her off-Broadway hit, The Writing On The Stall. From expositions on life, to drunken doodles. What can we learn from bathroom graffiti, and how can it bring us comfort when times get tough?
We join Cook as she sits atop a toilet, centre stage. Bathrooms, particularly for the ladies, are often a place for confessions. The scrambled scrawl on a wall can tell us much about the way we live, and the things we’d never dare say out loud. It’s clear things are about to get intimate, Cook will even take off her pants (plural; repeatedly).
An Oxford-educated art historian, Cook has literally studied this topic at inarguably one of the best universities in the world. A particular focus included a double-digit document on tiny todgers from the Mesolithic era, amongst other moments in history. Who better to commemorate bathroom wall musings through the medium of musical comedy?
Cook is a talented singer. This topic could easily be a gimmick, but it’s not. She’s a serene songstress, especially in the numbers towards the end of the show. She also has a quick wit, engaging with the audience with star-quality and charm, using local examples for great gags. From genitalia and puns, to new words and live-laugh-love-alikes, the stall walls deliver a wealth of material for Cook to explore in her songs.
With time, she shares a confession of her own, and it’s a big one to dump. Cook had previously been so peppy, and the poignancy and sheer human emotion at stake here is substantial. The air is thick. The audience are gripped. Cook soon swings it back round though. What felt a little startling suddenly becomes stunningly meaningful. There’s a couple of moments that start to feel like the end of the show, a few false endings, if you will. But when we get there, we know we’re home.
The Writing On The Stall is a special show that is unexpectedly emotive and strays far beyond any simple scrawl you’ll find on a toilet door. A meaningful manifesto for finding joy after tragedy, and how the art of being human can often come in unexpected places.
Reviewed on 31 May 2025.
