Melbourne Reviews

There's an awful lot of good-fun stuff going on inside Hannah Gadsby's mind and, thanks to Ritalin, we're now able to take a quick peek inside.

There's also a shed-load of quite serious stuff going on in her life that she openly shares in her show Donkey, as she describes her journey to discovering it was ADHD affecting her ability to cope with the world, rather than depression.

At moments the audience is spellbound into silence as she explained the mental processes that bound her up in a web of frustrated inaction and it's a minor miracle that she can now not only make sense of it but make bloody funny comedy out of it too.

Part of the laughter of course comes from being released from her darker moments – and there are a few especially black bits. But Gadsby can even make comedy out of one review posting a Lifeline contact number alongside a five-star rating.

At one lowpoint her girlfriend tells her to "Take her mental health seriously". "But it's my job to make it funny," is her response. A good psychiatrist and Ritalin means she has found a happy medium; she now takes her health seriously – but not herself.

Gadsby's comedy definitely seems to be benefitting from the new headspace, without losing her trademark style: laid-back and languid but searingly sharp. She's a lovely storyteller too, conjuring up images and moods with minimal words and expressions. There's even a touch of physical comedy introduced at the end; no spoiler from me.

This is some serious – and seriously funny – shit and it's worth going just to find out about the donkey, pufferfish and the unicorn. There's a pussycat in there too, and it deserves a warm happy place to snuggle down.


A Token Event
Donkey
Hannah Gadsby
 
Venue: Melb Town Hall - Supper Room | Cnr Swanston & Collins Sts, Melbourne
Dates: 26 Mar – 19 Apr, 2015
Tickets: $39.90 – $28
Bookings: 1300 660 013

Part of the 2015 Melbourne International Comedy Festival