Summary
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas is well worth your time — the comedian returns, keeping it as level as ever, with logical and social commentary that keeps you amused for the duration.
Fresh from her successful Nanette, to-the-point comedian Hannah Gadsby proudly waltzes on to the stage and delivers yet another smart, logical comedy performance that has the crowd howling. Hannah uses her quick wit to ask the audience who is aware of her previous work and in doing so, asks those who are not aware of it what are they doing here. Hannah Gadsby: Douglas gets off on the right foot.
As most stand-ups start off with the schedule of jokes, Hannah Gadsby: Douglas starts with an unconventional path where the comedian sets out an agenda for the act. She tells the audience what to expect and when to expect it and even ironically suggests which segments are jokes and which are not. Hannah even plants a “hate bait”, purposefully telling the audience not to laugh when that section arrives. This is a clever comedy, where Hannah uses her literal agenda to toy with the audience before it even happens.
And of course, Hannah puts her social commentary to good use, kickstarting the stand-up with an English lesson between America and Australia and ending with a pre-planned but “forgotten” Louis CK joke. Everything in between ranges from finding out if she is autistic to providing her very own TED Talk and Ancient Greek paintings.
Hannah Gadsby: Douglas is a success in every sense of the word. The comedian’s knack of interlinking her jokes with her highly operative thought process works in her favor. Her logic is 90% of the joke and the audience laps it up easily, waiting for the next punchline.
But what will astound most is how the comedian does not succumb to “hate” at all. If anything Hannah Gadsby: Douglas proves she eats it up and it makes her stronger, forming her into a better comedian. She completely understands what will press buttons and generate “hate”, ruthlessly going after the anti-vaxxers. Someone has to.
Netflix’s Hannah Gadsby: Douglas is well worth your time — the comedian returns keeping it as level as ever with logical and social commentary that keeps you amused for the duration.
