From coaching the Clintons in clowning to performing a two-person romantic comedy entirely by herself, Natalie Palamides has cemented her status as one of comedy's most daring and innovative performers. The LA-based artist, whose solo show Weer became a surprise Off-Broadway hit, is now bringing the critically acclaimed production back to UK audiences.
From Egg-Laying to Off-Broadway Stardom
Natalie Palamides's journey to becoming the toast of New York's alternative theatre scene was unconventional. Her early work, like the Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning Laid, where she gave birth to eggs on stage, hardly screamed mainstream appeal. Her follow-up, Nate, used cross-dressing and audience interaction to provocatively workshop themes of consent. Few could have predicted this "loose cannon" would soon be tutoring Hillary and Chelsea Clinton in physical comedy for their series Gutsy, or that her latest show would attract a who's who of celebrity attendees during a extended New York run.
"Drew Barrymore came, Kevin Bacon came," Palamides reveals from California. "Sabrina Carpenter came: that was nuts. Dua Lipa, Nathan Fielder, Neil Patrick Harris." The show in question was Weer, which enjoyed a three-month residency until just before Christmas at the historic Cherry Lane Theatre, recently revitalised by indie studio A24. The marathon run took its toll, leaving the 36-year-old performer recovering from flu. "It takes a lot of physical endurance to make it through the show," she admitted.
Deconstructing the Romcom in a Virtuosic Solo Turn
Premiering at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2024, Weer is a staggering technical and comedic feat. Palamides plays both halves of a couple—Mark and Christina—simultaneously, using one half of her face and body for each character. The show, which flashes back from a car accident, charts the three-year arc of their intense relationship, with Palamides flirting, fighting, and even physically abusing herself on stage.
The preparation for each performance is an ordeal in itself, taking several hours of intricate makeup and costuming. To sustain the punishing schedule, Palamides relied on rigorous self-care, including biotherapy and red light therapy. Despite craving a break, she is now preparing for the show's UK return, offering London audiences another chance to experience the rollercoaster ride that captivated New York.
Palamides explains that the show was born from a desire to capture the cathartic highs and lows of classic romantic comedies, while also interrogating their often-toxic foundations. "I wanted to explore how in most romantic comedies we're fed in our culture, the relationships are toxic, but you still root for them to be together," she says. Weer pushes this dynamic to an extreme, testing whether an audience will still yearn for a couple's reunion even when their relationship is clearly destructive.
Pushing Taboos and Plotting a Shocking Follow-Up
Palamides's work has placed her at the forefront of a contemporary clowning renaissance alongside mentor Phil Burgers (Dr Brown). Beyond her stage work and a voice role in The Powerpuff Girls, she has directed other shows and is developing a Las Vegas cabaret. She is also plotting a screen adaptation of Weer.
Yet, true to form, she is not resting on her palatable success. Her next project, set to premiere at the Netflix Is a Joke festival in May, delves into deeply personal and taboo territory. "It's not palatable. It's very off-putting," she warns. The show features a character who claims to be pregnant with the second coming, births a raw steak, and beats it until it stops crying before eating it.
For Palamides, who was raised Catholic and haunted by fears of Satan, this material is profoundly challenging. "It feels so taboo to delve into this area," she confesses. But confronting taboos is her artistic currency—a clown who trades less in red noses and more in red flags. Whether through the distorted romance of Weer or the sacrilegious carnival to come, Natalie Palamides remains an unmissable, unsettling force in modern comedy.
Weer is at Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London, from 14 to 24 January.
