Hello Again

Tig Notaro is at her best when she is leaning into excruciating social awkwardness, and this hour leans heavily on the quiet agony of miscommunication. The high point of the performance comes when she recounts a middle-of-the-night medical emergency that ends with a muscular, mustache-wearing fireman carrying her down the stairs. It is a moment of pure physical vulnerability that Notaro, a self-described “old-fashioned lesbian,” greets with a sudden, droll epiphany about why people find these men attractive.

Filmed at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn and released on Prime Video in early 2024, the special caught Notaro during a highly visible stretch of her career, alongside her acting roles on The Morning Show and her work co-hosting the comedy podcast Handsome. Directed by her wife, Stephanie Allynne, the set ranges from hallucinatory text messages sent while under the influence of post-surgery painkillers to a prolonged, agonizing misunderstanding with Reese Witherspoon regarding Nicole Kidman’s height.

While her deliberate, deadpan storytelling carries the first two-thirds of the set, the performance shifts radically for the finale. Notaro rolls out a white baby grand piano, attempting to convince the crowd she has suddenly become a musical virtuoso. The extended bit, which relies on her complete lack of piano skills, divided critics and audiences alike. Some appreciated the sheer absurdity of the joke, while others felt the gag wore thin long before she finally stepped away from the keys.