Hannah Gadsby – Woof! (Roslyn Packer) ★★★1/2

Written by Hannah Gadsby. Roslyn Packer Theatre. 7-17 Mar, 2024.

Hannah Gadsby is having a mental health moment on stage, or so they would have us believe. For a comedian whose shows are usually designed to take the unassuming audience from one joke to a startling subversion of a bigger subject, it’s almost hard to believe they have abandoned six months of work to present a show that’s seemingly more off-the-cuff.

Then again this new show, Woof!, does feel surprisingly rough and raw… You won’t expect the twists and turns, but you’ll definitely laugh as Gadsby changes before your eyes.

On a road trip with their partner, Gadsby suffered a panic attack in a rural town. What their partner found charming, Gadsby saw as terrifying. It was confusing for them to say the least.

“We’re a Bible believing church”, said a sign in the town. Gadsby doesn’t unpack the statement so much as riff off it with a sense of ever-growing anxiety. Much like the modern world it’s the things unsaid, the coded meanings and messages, that hold menace.

There’s a lot of grief in Woof! Grief, converted into observation from Gadsby’s unique point-of-view. Grief, mixed with fame, showing how much has changed in the comedian’s world. From having laser eye-surgery (gone are the recognisable glasses), to staying in posh hotels (with beds that are too comfortable), and starting to take testosterone (leading to a deepening of their voice) – the freedom success brings also breeds more anxiety.

As much as Gadsby’s world is in flux, it feels like Woof! is too. Yes, the well planned comedy call-backs are there but a lengthy Q&A session sees the comedian bounce off the audience with glee. The element of improvisation shakes up the usually finely crafted narrative we’ve come to expect making way for something fresher, and different from a comic who is used to taking the audience to unexpected places.