The show had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival last month. Gadsby will kick off an American tour in San Francisco on April 29 and will close it with a four-week run off-Broadway at the Daryl Roth Theater beginning July 23.
In “Douglas,” named after Gadsby’s dog, the comic discusses her autism diagnosis, which she received before working on her breakout show, “Nanette.” Now she feels ready to unpack it in front of an audience.
“Nanette” played in Australia and Britain for 18 months, scooped up prizes in Melbourne and Edinburgh, had a run at SoHo Playhouse in New York and then became a Netflix special that introduced Gadsby to the rest of the world.
The show turned stand-up comedy onto its head — many argued it wasn’t comedy at all. In it, Gadsby dissected stand-up as an art form, shared what it was like growing up gay in Tasmania and tore into the culture that has historically kept men on top, no matter their flaws. She even announced she was giving up comedy.
“Quitting was always a theatrical device, and I’m delighted everyone took it so seriously,” Gadsby said in a recent interview with The New York Times. “But that theatrical device, as I relived trauma night after night, felt really good to say it and mean it. I think I meant it and still mean it in the sense of the strictest definition of what comedy is — yeah, I’ve quit that.”
Gadsby has written about her post-“Nanette” success and diagnosis in a new memoir, “Ten Steps to Nanette.” It will hit bookstores later this year.
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.