Hear This!

Meet comedienne and motivational speaker Kathy Buckley, who is the living proof of the maxim that true comedy stems from true tragedy. Born RH negative, Buckley contracted spinal meningitis when she was two, became hearing-impaired, and spent a couple of years in a school for retardation. After a childhood of sexual abuse, rejection, and misunderstanding, she was run over by a jeep at the age of 20, taking five years to recover and re-learn to walk, and then at 26, was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It was at that point she realized she had choices at her disposal, one of which was to change her attitude and stop believing all the labels she'd been burdened with all her life. Buckley entered a comedy contest in 1988, and has been so successful she's been nominated five times for American Comedy awards and has been honored by a host of disability organizations. Hear This! is Buckley's act and, by default, life story, and it's a heartwarming winner: whether she's mining typical comedic turf (air travel, self-flushing toilets), making fun of herself (“I haven't had a date in three years; I don't know if I can't hear the phone, or what”), or telling us about her life as someone with a disability, this insightful performer and humanitarian is always humorous and perceptive. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (K. Glaser)