Hannah Gadsby: Something Special is Gadsby’s first special following their marriage and the crux of their material focuses on their relationship with their spouse and all of its quirks. The special is now streaming on Netflix.
Story
Performing at the Sydney Opera House, Hannah Gadsby starts off their set by assuring people that the set they’re going to perform will be a feel-good one and nothing like what they’ve done before.
And it does seem that way when they let everyone know that they’ve gotten married to their producer Jenney Shamash, who they lovingly call “Jenno”.
They talk about life growing up with their parents who have contrasting personalities and how they met Jenney for the first time. Gadsby discusses their autism diagnosis and how it affected their rise to fame.
There are also multiple terrifying yet hilarious encounters with rabbits in what Gadsby insists is supposed to be a feel-good show, although they never specify who it caters for.
Positives
Gadsby is good-natured and entertaining right off the bat as the comedian makes a living out of this and knows how to work a crowd. Their jokes are disarming and put the audience at ease.
Their transitions from one joke to the next are flawless and it keeps the set flowing comfortably. The runtime clocks in at a little over an hour but it feels like passing through a very pleasant breeze by the end of it.
The structure of the set is ideal too with callbacks to earlier jokes landing perfectly even though there is a slight hint of predictability for audiences familiar with their work. Nonetheless, the writing is wonderful to behold.
Negatives
A drawback that can be construed as a compliment would be that there could have been more. The special is concise when it could have been a little extensive and included more anecdotes for the audience to enjoy.
Verdict
Hannah Gadsby: Something Special is a thoroughly entertaining stand-up set by a comedian who is really good at what they do. Despite being shot a little after the pandemic, Gadsby’s material doesn’t rely heavily on the lockdowns and the general distress of the pandemic but focuses on their lovely relationships and their fun personality.
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