The Citiblog

Review: Hannah Gadsby Gets Tongues Wagging in “Woof”
October 7, 2024, 2:50.34 am ET

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Photo: David Urbanke

By Brian Scott Lipton

If there’s something we’ve learned through experiencing the work of the brilliant Australian stand-up comic Hannah Gadbsy – who skyrocketed to international fame with “Nanette” -- is that while you might come for the jokes, you’ll leave thinking about many of the issues, large and small, we face in the world. That proves true once again with her latest solo piece, “Woof,” now in a limited run at the Abrons Arts Center.

In fact, Gadsby lets us know early on that the show will be about the “big questions,” although unsurprisingly she saves the really big questions on her mind (and maybe ours) for the show’s far more serious second half -- and concerns some topics that are best left undisclosed here.

In fact, all of Gadsby’s material is best experienced not just live, but unknown until you hear it in person – so I’d actually advise everyone to stop reading and simply head to the show (even if the Abrons is almost literally situated at the end of the earth).

Should you keep reading, I will disclose that much of the show’s guffaw-inducing first half features pointed potshots at both the music and fandom of Taylor Swift (“a can of Coke masquerading as a sorority cult”), the reasons she didn’t like the movie “Barbie” or why it didn’t make her think of feminism, a fascination of sorts with lesbian soccer players, her curiosity about what happened to all the Cabbage Patch Kids bought in the 1980s, her love of whales, and her general dislike of social media. Many of these subjects will become recurring themes and end up tied into the more serious part of her show.

What one has to admire about Gadsby, on top of her impeccable comic timing, is her scrupulous honesty – not just about society, but herself. She has no qualms discussing being autistic (and how that relates to her anxiety), her issues with labeling herself along the sexual spectrum, and her genial acceptance that it doesn’t matter if every audience gets every reference and, therefore, may not laugh at every joke. She also ends up being scrupulously honest about a couple of things – major and minor – that she absolutely didn’t need to confess to us.

Most importantly even if we might actually hate her on some level for admitting that she only stays in “posh hotels” now, sleeps with two mattress toppers, and is severely uncomfortable with her current level of fame and wealth (of course, your level of pettiness may vary), one really has to cheer Gadsby for achieving the ability – wanted or not – to live the proverbial dog’s life.

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