Review Roundup: Hannah Gadsby's WOOF!

Hannah Gadsby's WOOF! just celebrated its opening night at the Abrons Arts Center. The new comedy is written and performed by Gadsby and directed by Jenney Shamash . Production Design for the Off-Broadway production is by Oona Curley, based on Original Design by Shamash.

WOOF! is produced Off-Broadway by Mike Lavoie and Carlee Briglia  and marks Gadsby's return to the New York stage following 2018's smash success Nanette, 2019's New York Times Critic's Pick Douglas, and 2022's acclaimed run of Body of Work at BAM. 

Check out what the critcs are saying about the new show!

Nathan Johnson, BroadwayWorld.com: At its core, Woof! is laced with deep messagesa?"ones Ia??ve been turning over in my mind ever since I walked out of that theater, thinking and laughing (and once crying, when the truths hit a little too close to home), and I know Ia??ll continue to for a long time. Thank you, Hannah, for a few minutes of seeing the world through your eyes.

Tim Teeman, Daily Beast: In Nanette, Gadsby spoke movingly about the interplay of punchlines and tension, and the need they have to tell their stories properlya?"beyond jokes, and beyond making themselves the subject of those jokes. In Woof!, whether that be about coming out, gender identity, the oppression of Netflix, or the meaning of whales, it means Gadsby has written and edited every word and sequence with care, despite the appearance of off-the-cuff-ness. By deploying these words with such dazzling acuity Gadsby means to fight ignorance, stupidity, easy reads, dumb conclusions, and expected tropes. Accordingly, you listen to every word asa?"right in front of youa?"they bloom into so many laughs, gut-punch sighs, and vivid meanings.

Andrew Martini, Theatrely: Gadsbya??s voice is singular and a welcome one in todaya??s comedy scene. Their particular blend of humor and cultural commentary elevates the form and takes it in a new direction, which makes it all the more difficult when WOOF! doesna??t quite rise to the level wea??ve come to expect.

Thom Geier, Culture Sauce: It may be unreasonable to expect continued innovation from a comic whose signature work was such a mold-breaking masterpiece, one that paved the way for a whole subgenre of comedy rooted in breaking down trauma in artful and darkly comic ways. Gadsby insists that their creative well of personal tragedy hasna??t run dry a?" a?oeTherea??s a whole herd of baby reindeer I could slay for your consumption,a?? they say in yet another Netflix reference a?" but therea??s a sense that Gadsby is no longer as interested in dredging up fresh anecdotes of despair. Been there, bled that. What wea??re left with are playful, artfully phrased riffs on familiar themes like lesbian culture, autism, social media, and contemporary U.S. politics that feel like they might have been discarded pages from the notebooks for past shows.

Brian Scott Lipton, Cititour: Most importantly even if we might actually hate her on some level for admitting that she only stays in a?oeposh hotelsa?? now, sleeps with two mattress toppers, and is severely uncomfortable with her current level of fame and wealth (of course, your level of pettiness may vary), one really has to cheer Gadsby for achieving the ability a?" wanted or not a?" to live the proverbial doga??s life.

Average Rating: 78.0%