Hannah Gadsby's 'The Evening Muse' explores agoraphobia and anxiety at Melbourne International Comedy Festival
Hannah Gadsby presents 'The Evening Muse' exclusively at the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, running until 19 April at Malthouse Theatre. The show blends stand-up with talk show elements, featuring guest comedians and competitive trivia. Gadsby discusses evolving agoraphobia that traps them in rooms, alongside broader anxieties about global instability and techno-fascism. Following their 2024 special 'Woof!', released independently after leaving Netflix, this performance marks a format experiment. The comedian's signature dry humor and social critique remain, though the show displays uneven confidence. Gadsby's personal revelations include using they/them pronouns, navigating neurodivergence, and moving to the United States. Their 2018 Netflix special 'Nanette' propelled them to global fame through its critique of comedy industry misogyny.
Key facts
- Hannah Gadsby performs 'The Evening Muse' at Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2026
- Show runs until 19 April at Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne
- Format combines stand-up with talk show segments featuring guest comedians
- Gadsby discusses agoraphobia, anxiety about global instability, and techno-fascism
- Follows 2024 special 'Woof!' released independently after leaving Netflix
- Gadsby uses they/them pronouns and addresses neurodivergence and gender evolution
- 2018 Netflix special 'Nanette' brought global recognition through industry critique
- Show includes competitive trivia using vintage Trivial Pursuit deck
Entities
Artists
- Hannah Gadsby
- Alannah Sue
- Steph Tisdell
- Elaine Crombie
- Stephen A Russell
Institutions
- Melbourne International Comedy Festival
- Malthouse Theatre
- Netflix
- ArtsHub
- ScreenHub
- Time Out
- Limelight
- Urban List
- Sydney Opera House
- iD Comedy Club
- Business of Comedy Conference
Locations
- Melbourne
- Australia
- Sydney
- United States
- New York