Hannah Gadsby is a name which I could see in every influencers and every stand-up artist’s social media and that’s where I got to know about this amazing woman. I hope after reading this, it reaches to more audience because it needs to be seen by everyone. Gadsby’s comedy special on Netflix titled Nanette is creating a humongous uproar and rightfully so, since this is not just a one hour comedy or stand-up, it is a rant against many things including comedy itself. By the end of this piece, I just hope you are convinced to invest your time in watching this one hour special.

This Australian comedian announced at the beginning of 2017 that she would be retiring from the world of comedy not knowing that she would be bagging Australia’s most prestigious comedy award ‘The Barry’ for Best Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival; followed by the Helpmann Award for Best Comedy Performer; and finally the world’s biggest prize for live comedy, the Best Comedy Show award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, all for Nanette.

You will start watching it expecting laughter and you will laugh your arse off. But at a point, unexpectedly so, you might catch yourself crying. And by the end of it, it will leave you speechless. The rawness and its absolute power are unbelievable.

“Why is insensitivity something to strive for? My insensitivity is my strength.” She said, while joking “when someone lectures me to stop being so sensitive, I feel a little bit like a nose being lectured by a fart”. This show will not just make you laugh, it will make you cry, cringe and feel. It is a melting pot of feelings which will definitely induce emotion.

One might get confused if it’s a comedy show or a Ted Talk or a monologue or a dramatic reading but I do not differ, I would call it using sarcasm to call out the casual harms the society is inducing on itself. You will find some parts surprising though some would be relatable to you irrespective of your personality, life or anything else. One thing I guarantee is that it will change you, at least some part of you.

Do you believe that laughter is the best medicine? Hannah doesn’t but everyone loves stories right? She believes in the power of her stories and called this platform for her to tell her story. There was a part where she said, “Laughter is not our medicine. Stories hold our cure. Laughter is just the honey that sweetens the bitter medicine” referring to truth in the stories. She adds, “I don’t want to unite you with laughter or anger. I just needed my story heard, my story felt and understood by individuals with minds of their own.”

I resonated most with her when she expressed, “I don’t identify as Lesbian or straight, I identify as… tired”.  Hannah won’t be continuing as a comedian anymore. Hopefully she will find a way to reach us, after all.