Hannah Gadsby: The Cliff Young Shuffle
The Elliot Stables, 39 Elliot St, City, Auckland
24/04/2010 - 01/05/2010
NZ International Comedy Festival 2010
Production Details
Best Newcomer – Adelaide Fringe Festival
Best Newcomer Nominee – Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Runner Up – So You Think You’re Funny – Edinburgh Fringe Festival
In a world obsessed with youth, beauty and achievement, Hannah Gadsby clearly missed the boat. Faced with an uphill battle she simply… turned around. Hannah’s new show is about preparing for a graceful downhill shuffle.
Hannah had some time to kill between the invitation-only Kilkenny Comedy Festival in Ireland and her debut at the prestigious Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh so she decided to go for a toddle from west to east, crossing England on foot.
The Cliff Young Shuffle refers to the 1980s geriatric ultra marathon hero, Cliff Young. A pin up boy for tortoises all over the world, the 64 year old potato farmer won a foot race between Melbourne and Sydney. Not only did he never lift his arms above his hips, but he only ever trained in gumboots and married a 23 year old. If that’s not aspirational…
After being ‘discovered’ in 2006 at the Hobart Comedy Festival, Hannah claimed victory in the National Final of Raw Comedy in Melbourne and backed it up with a not-too-shoddy second place win in Edinburgh Fringe’s So You Think You’re Funny contest. Her first solo show, Hannah Gadsby is Wrong and Broken, won Best Newcomer at Adelaide Fringe in 2007… and people have been laughing at her ever since.
Hannah’s laconic, multi-layered but no frills humour is what distinguishes her from the rest of the pack – it’s what so impressed Adam Hills when they started chatting on a 48 hour flight to Montreal. By the end of the flight, he was a fan and offered to produce her now highly acclaimed 2009 show, Kiss Me Quick … I’m Full Of Jubes.
Over the last few years Hannah has shuffled around the world, bringing her low key but heartbreakingly funny brand of comedy anywhere that will have her. After selling out her 2009 season, Hannah returns to Auckland for six shows only.
“piercing razor-sharp wit” Chortle
“Hannah Gadsby is bloody hilarious” Theatre Review (NZ)
“Hannah Gadsby is bloody hilarious” Theatre Review (NZ)
Dates: Sat 24, Tues 27 April – Sat 1 May, 7pm
Venue: The Elliot Stables, 39 Elliot St, City
Tickets: Adults $25.00 / Conc $22.00 & Groups 8+ (Tues to Fri only) $22.00
Venue: The Elliot Stables, 39 Elliot St, City
Tickets: Adults $25.00 / Conc $22.00 & Groups 8+ (Tues to Fri only) $22.00
Bookings: 0800 TICKETEK (842 5385) www.ticketek.co.nz , or at the door
Show duration: 1 hour
Show duration: 1 hour
1hr
A light-hearted look at the human condition
Review by Karyn Cushen 25th Apr 2010
The opening night of Hannah Gadsby’s New Zealand International Comedy Festival performance began rather unexpectedly as she involuntarily, ill-timed her running leap onto the small stage, a mere 40 centimeters high, and landed a monumental face-plant, spilling her water everywhere.
As much as I would love to believe that this was deliberate, it wasn’t, as from my front row vantage point, it clearly hurt.
This blatant lack of dexterity and co-ordination perfectly complemented her latest comedic offering The Cliff Young Shuffle, which, like most of her material, centers on her lack of physical prowess and personal resolve, of course, with a humorous, self-defeatist twist.
This particular show uses the feats of Cliff Young, a geriatric Australian potato farmer that won an ultra marathon in the eighties and went on to marry a twenty year old, to frame her insane and uncharacteristic quest to cross England by foot.
Gadsby’s award-winning deadpan expression and familiar anecdotes fuels a captivating hour of world-class comedy, which details the finer points of her journey of self-discovery, like the nothingness of the English countryside and the frustrating characters she meets along the way.
The Cliff Young Shuffle is a light-hearted look at the human condition that I would thoroughly recommend to all.
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