Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Awash in grief and anxiety, Hannah Gadsby’s WOOF! finds the famed comic in transition

• By drediman
• October 6, 2024
• No Comments

Last night, the New York leg of Hannah Gasby’s Woof! world tour opened at the historic playhouse at the Abrons Arts Center in the Lower East Side. The show arrives in the city after having premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, as well as making some subsequent international tour stops. In short, Woof! is a fascinating show. Unlike their previous efforts (e.g., Nanette, Douglas, Body of Work), this latest creation can’t claim to boast an overarching thematic through-line. Instead, the heady new show basks in a myriad of Gadsby’s current concerns, each of which tap into a broader existential line of questioning that has the famed comic’s head — and ours — spinning.

Woof! has a lot of things on its mind. First and foremost, the piece attempts to dissect the grief arising from the recent passing of Gadsby father. It also endeavors to unpack the general anxiety that comes with simply living in and engaging with contemporary society. Additionally, the show also puts time into examining the price of fame, particularly as it relates to identity. Given that it leaves the audience with little resolution — and in fact with more questions than it does answers — I think it would be say that the show is in a continuous state of writing itself. Even Gadsby themself has admitted that the show in its current state is a far cry from their original intentions for the show (Woof! was largely conceived as a “grief” show).

It’s a testament to Gadsby’s razor sharp wit and superb talent as a storyteller that they’re able to sculpt a show so cohesively. Throughout, the work’s various elements are masterfully interwoven into a deliciously labyrinthine web of thoughts that has the markings of the musings of a notable thinker, let alone a great comedian. In summary, Woof! finds Gadsby clearly in the midst of a transitional phase. In terms of branding, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Some viewers may be pleasantly surprised about some small but key cosmetic changes (no spoilers here), as well as an overall tone that’s less based on anger than it is a sense of confoundedness — and even a touch of playfulness.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

WOOF!
Comedy
Abrons Arts Center
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through October 27