Hannah Gadsby: WOOF! tickets

By: Hannah Gadsby
Director: Jenney Shamash
Cast list: Hannah Gadsby

Hannah Gadsby turned comedy on its head with her explosive, hilarious, and ultimately moving special Nanette, which earned the performer a Peabody Award and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. The show, which streamed on Netflix, deconstructed the nature of comedy, sharing how for Gadsby, a queer person, telling self-deprecating jokes at their own expense to appease a hungry audience can only diminish marginalized people’s sense of worth.

Now, in their new show, Gadsby again confronts life’s absurd contradictions, taking a sharp look at our world’s catastrophes and hypocrisies. Sharing their worries and whimsy with an intimate audience, Gadsby uses the comedy form to send up stand-up yet again in a mischievous wink at their previous mega hit. Audiences can expect a thrilling evening as an introvert finds themself fully in an extravert’s territory, ready to share wild stories that may or may also be jokes.

What to watch for

• Abrons Arts Center is known for its cutting-edge performances from theatermakers of all stripes. The venue’s curation is airtight, bringing together the world’s best performers to share stories on its stage.
• Critics enjoyed this production, with The Age calling it “perfection in action — Gadsby is a true comic genius with top-notch timing.”
• Audiences seeking alternative kinds of comedy will delight in this show, which is less about punchlines and more about how Gadsby interprets comedy as a vehicle for self-expression, -doubt, and -fulfillment.
• Gadsby is also a TV actor, appearing on Sex Education. They tend to reference their autism, trauma, and nonbinary gender expression in their sets.