Redefine. Rebirth. Revolution. A renaissance to stand-up Comedy
(Photo from https://www.facebook.com/hannahgadsbycomedy/)
With the tremendous success of the thought-provoking and deeply personal Nanette and the remarkable impact it has made and continues to make across the globe – kickstarting a movement of conversations and creating platforms for sharing experiences, and standing in solidarity, we are incredibly blessed that the superbly intelligent and sidesplittingly hilarious Hannah Gadsby has decided to put a hold on quitting comedy and returns to the 2019 Melbourne International Comedy Festival with her brand new, highly anticipated show: Douglas.
Gracing the magnificent Hamer Hall stage to thunderous applause and roaring cheers, Gadsby quickly captivates and spellbinds her audience as she launches into a 90-minute-long series of seemingly unrelated topics before swiftly connecting all the pieces of the puzzle to reveal the central theme of her show: the power vs. disempower, the limitations vs. liberation of names and labels.
Through a mix use of personal anecdotes, attention to detail observations and deep dive slideshow examinations of Renaissance art pieces (her forte no less), Gadsby seamlessly conveys and interweaves together a great variety of topics to create one cohesive viewpoint on a world and humanity being influenced and driven by names and label.
From explaining her show title including an uproarious anecdote on the art of naming dogs, relocating to LA and the hilariously awkward encounters with her stylist and tailor; to the issue of body image – the obsession of self-reflections and self-critiques, the history (and issue) of men having named everything, Americans and Australians’ ways of naming things as well as her response to people’s negative feedback on Nanette and opening up about her Autism – Gadsby effortlessly delivers every narrative and punchline with impeccable precision and hilarity punch; swinging a substantial blow right into her audience’s funny bones, leaving us aching with laughter while opening our minds and urging us to contemplate the toxicity of names and labels and the many underrecognised and underrated subject matters within our society.
To call Gadsby’s show a comedy show would not even cover the entirety and significance of what her show is. And since when is one show only allowed one label? Or the fact that what a performance is categorised in is more important that how the show has made you feel as an audience? Gadsby’s Douglas is a lot of things: it’s a stand-up comedy, it’s a movement, it’s a call-for-action, it’s a monologue, it’s a performance, but most importantly, it’s a 90-minutes set that makes us feel intellectually stimulated, enlightened, curious, empathetic, joy and in many ways, empowered.
After spending a decade being very good at following the rules and limitations of what defines a stand-up comedy show, Gadsby throws away the shackles of the comedy rules and transcends her shows into something bigger, more important that just self-deprecating jokes. Gadsby has discovered she now holds a greater power than just telling jokes and making people laugh; she has the power, the platform, the voice and strength to talk about the important things, to bring into light the societally labelled ‘taboo’ subjects and share her experiences, her viewpoints and vulnerabilities – this is not an easy for anyone to do in a small group conversation let alone someone who has to tell it to 3600 people each day…so thank you Hannah Gadsby, thank you for creating the new hybrid artform, thank you for sharing, for speaking your mind and lastly, for ‘taking one for the team’ so that the rest of us can then start our conversations.
A perfect balance of witty humour and illuminating one-person discussion – Hannah Gadsby’s Douglas is one not to be missed. For all things touring dates, head to: http://hannahgadsby.com.au/
For all things Hannah Gadsby, head to:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/hannahgadsby
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hannahgadsbycomedy/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hannah_gadsby/
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