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A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall

Michelle Buteau

Netflix · 2024 · 64 min

Michelle Buteau performs high-energy personal stand-up at Radio City Music Hall.

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Michelle Buteau commands the stage with the cozy, loose-lipped confidence of a close friend who has had one drink too many and is ready to spill everything. She is an inherently joyful performer, relying on a blend of bouncy physical comedy, broad crowd interactions, and a DJ supplying perfectly timed sound effects to keep the massive room feeling like a private living room.

Recorded in June 2024, the set represents a major milestone for Buteau, who became the first woman to tape a solo stand-up special at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall. The show capped off a massive year for her career, following her starring role in the comedy film Babes and the success of her Netflix series Survival of the Thickest. On stage, Buteau covers the exhausting realities of raising twins, the challenges of scheduling date nights with her husband, and a disastrous experience getting way too high. She also gets mileage out of a real-life controversy surrounding a branded sweet potato casserole recipe that offended her Black fans.

The set’s most talked-about segment comes when Buteau uses a story about her lesbian friend to address the broader state of stand-up. She directly calls out Dave Chappelle’s fixation on anti-trans jokes, arguing that comics should work harder to write material that does not punch down. Labeling him the GOAT (which she redefines as Going Off About Trans people), she criticizes making millions by making a marginalized community feel unsafe. While her defense of the LGBTQ+ community drew loud applause from the live crowd, the moment polarized viewers at home, with some praising her stance and others feeling the detour into media criticism stalled the show’s buoyant momentum.

The set list

5 bits

  1. Viral Sweet Potato Casserole

    Recounting her viral branded cooking video for Campbell's Soup and playfully apologizing for messing up Black culture before internet backlash erupted.

  2. Calling out Dave Chappelle

    Contrasting her own philosophy of comedy with Dave Chappelle's recurring anti-trans jokes, arguing that comedians should make people feel safe rather than punching down.

  3. Edibles at a Knicks Game

    Describing the misadventures of misgauging edible dosages while sitting courtside with her husband.

  4. Parenting 5-year-old twins Hazel and Otis

    Comparing the exhaustion of mothering twins to feeling like the floating door from Titanic and comparing her daughter to a middle-aged DMV worker.

  5. Reptile sanctuary confrontation

    Confronting a bigoted woman on a tour over pronouns and a bearded dragon, emphasizing living in the gray areas where humanity and love exist.

How it plays

Tone
Irreverent, personal, inclusive, body-positive, and candid.
On stage
Warm, relatable 'fun aunt energy', candid, conversational, and unapologetic, sipping rosé through a straw on stage.
Pace
Conversational narrative pacing with playful, relaxed storytelling that transitions between personal anecdotes and sharp social commentary.
About
motherhood and parenting twins, marriage and intimacy, getting high and cannabis edibles, LGBTQ+ allyship and calling out transphobia, money and knowing one's worth, going viral on the internet

What the critics said

Critics praised Buteau's warm, engaging storytelling and her principled defense of marginalized communities without punching down, though some noted pacing inconsistencies and an abrupt ending.

In the room: Energetic and enthusiastic live theater crowd, though online audience ratings were polarized by her jokes addressing Dave Chappelle.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, bbfc.co.uk, hollywoodreporter.com, decider.com, wherever-i-look.com, vulture.com, rottentomatoes.com, en.wikipedia.org, usatoday.com.

Backstory

Filmed in early June 2024 at Radio City Music Hall, making Buteau the first female comedian to record a stand-up comedy special at the iconic venue.

Details

Released
Taped
Radio City Music Hall, New York
Runtime
64 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Sandra Restrepo, Page Hurwitz
Honors
1 nomination total
Topics
Before
Welcome to Buteaupia (2020)

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