TV

Turns Out The Entire World Totally Loves Hannah Gadsby’s ‘Nanette’

"The stunning Netflix special that made Louis C.K.’s comedy irrelevant."

by Patrick Lenton  3 July 2018
Nanette

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By now, you’ve probably heard of Nanette, comedian Hannah Gadsby’s brilliant and brutal farewell to comedy — well guess what, the rest of the world has caught on, and they love it too. A whole dang bunch.

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Nanette did extremely well here in Australia, which was ironic as it was essentially crafted as a swansong, one last bitter and nuanced goodbye to being a comedian. It won the highly prestigious Barry Award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Best Comedy at Edinburgh, as well as several sold-out “final ever” performances, including at the Sydney Opera House.

From that, the show was made into a Netflix special and then launched into international fame. Gadsby has even taken the show to New York for a regular performance at the SoHo Playhouse. And the reviews coming in have been extremely positive. It’s nice to be proud of an Australian doing well overseas for a genuinely good piece of art.

What The Reviews Are Saying

The New Yorker has written a couple of responses to the show, always positive, always respectful of the form. In this review, ‘The Funny, Furious Anti-Comedy Of Hannah Gadsby’ they say:

“I’ve never heard a joke that was able to tell that story, that painted the contours of inequity while honouring the resulting tension — a tension felt more deeply by some members of the audience than by others. Gadsby manages to do so by embracing both her humility and her anger. She knows her perspective is personal, but she also takes her place in a collective fight, risking a well-cultivated, monetised persona to say something uncomfortable and real without a final, numbing punch.

In daring to move beyond the not-so-subversive container of a joke, Nanette — as uproariously funny as it is profoundly furious — is what I and more than a few other well-dressed lesbians, I imagine, hope will be a new, and not the last, chapter of a brilliant career.”

There’s a lot of praise for how the show delves into deep, traditionally un-comedic issues, such as homophobia, rape, misogyny and mental health.

The Atlantic called Nanette “one of the most extraordinary comedy specials in recent memory,” while Salon credits it as “the stunning Netflix special that made Louis C.K.’s comedy irrelevant.”

Meanwhile, many publications have been praising not just the general brilliance of the show, but also its commentary on comedy itself, such as in this Slate review: “Like a retiring magician revealing the secrets behind her tricks, Gadbsy draws back the curtain on stand-up, a manipulative process she is very good at.”

What Everyone Else Is Saying

It’s not just reviews that have been effusive — all sorts of famous people including comedians, authors, actors and musicians have taken to social media to talk about how important the show is.

Meanwhile, Hannah Gadsby has reacted to the absolute tornado of international fame and affection by posting a bunch of pictures of her dogs, which makes sense.

Nanette is currently streaming on Netflix, it’s pretty important that you go and watch it.