Recorded at the Wilbur Theater in Boston in May 2015,
Boyish Girl Interrupted is comedian
Tig Notaro's first HBO standup special. It premiered on the cable network that August, and the audio release follows on the Secretly Canadian label a year later. Her previous standup recording, Live, captured a candid, largely improvised set that saw
Notaro grappling with a cancer diagnosis she'd received earlier that day in 2012. An audio recording was made by the club's owner and released later in the year, with
Notaro's OK, by
Louis C.K., who was in attendance that night. In the meantime,
Notaro underwent a double mastectomy and confirmed that she was cancer-free. She made waves soon after when she performed topless at the 2014 New York Comedy Festival, and in early 2015 she got engaged to actress Stephanie Allynne. The comedian refers to these events and more, including introducing her fiancée to her "Mississippi Relatives," and doing a week of shows in Las Vegas (and having to kill time between sets), on
Boyish Girl Interrupted. Other highlights include "Searching for Santa" and "Laugh Noises," which features the deliberately paced, deadpan
Notaro imitating types of laughs she hears at her shows ("My favorite laugh noise is the sigh after the laugh"). She also shares thoughts on signs witnessed at the "Public Pool," text messaging, and a fear of flying. At one point, the audience eggs her on to go topless for them.
Notaro again proves to be an artful performer with a unique voice -- and pace -- in standup here. It's a shouldn't-miss for anyone who's caught and enjoyed her appearances on The Ellen DeGeneres Show or late-night TV such as The Tonight Show and Conan, or for those wanting to keep up with the year's most noteworthy standup releases. [
Boyish Girl Interrupted was also released on LP.] ~ Marcy Donelson