PALM SPRINGS, CA - Hannah Gadsby is an Australian stand-up comic, and she created a performance that I strongly believe you'll also feel is one of the most incredible you'll ever see. Seriously, it's incredible, and it's important.
I'm not here to "review" or tell you any of the details of this performance, called "Nanette" because I strongly recommend you approach this as I did, which is with no background knowledge whatsoever. I watched it without having seen a trailer, and I'd never heard her voice before so I had know idea she was Australian. I only knew this special had a lot of buzz out there and that it's one of those must-see moments in pop culture.
I keep saying "performance" because although she's a comic, and has been for at least 10 years from what I gather, she takes you to places you least expect that you normally don't see in stand-up. So if you start it and think her humor isn't really your cup of tea, either subject-wise or humor-wise, just stick with it, because this is how I felt at first as well. But then it hits you, and you're in her world, and it's riveting beyond words. By the end of the performance I was speechless, staring at my television in complete silence as it changed to a static image.
Her ability to bring the audience - a sold out crowd at the Sydney Opera House - through a wide range of emotions while keeping the message cohesive and on point only adds to the beauty of what she's created. But it's not some "brilliant art project." The beauty lies in how earnest she is, how open she is, how sincere she is. She brings humanity to topics that can be uncomfortable for some, but the masterful way she intertwines them with humor, and her own life experience, it's simply powerful.
Hannah is a beautiful person. She's NOT a caricature. She's NOT a member of any group. She is an INDIVIDUAL, a force, and most importantly, she is unbreakable, and that's a trait that people of all stripes can relate to. Turn off the lights. Press play. Give her your full focus. You'll be thanking her after.
Hannah Gadsby: Nanette is now available on Netflix.
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