Saturday Night, I had the pleasure of experiencing Tig Notaro at the Egyptian Theater in downtown Boise, as part of the Treefort Music Festival. Even though Treefort is a music festival, Tig is not a musician. The last 20 minutes of her set emphasized that. As part of her show, she played the piano (POORLY!) and made fun of herself and others as she did. She was, in a word, hilarious! Her comedy wandered through personal stories that were funny, inspiring, and personal.
She broached topics fearlessly in a moment in our country’s history where many of the subjects of her humor are being censored and bullied. The diminutive comedian stood in front of the crowd and invited us into personal aspects of her marriage, motherhood, and wandering thoughts which included fantasies of mustached firemen and the disparate preferences between her and her wife in men.
You may also notice the picture is not of Tig. She requested no photography, so the photo is a section of the wall behind where she performed.
Her Background
Tig Notaro is a comedian, writer, and actor known for her dry wit, deadpan delivery, and fearless approach to tackling difficult topics in her stand-up sets. Notaro's rise to fame began in 2012, when she performed a now-legendary set at the Largo comedy club in Los Angeles, just days after receiving a cancer diagnosis. The set, which she performed shirtless to show her scars from a double mastectomy, was hailed as a triumph of brave and honest storytelling (dear to my heart). Since then, Notaro has released several acclaimed comedy albums, including "Live," "Boyish Girl Interrupted," and "Happy to be Here," and has performed at top comedy festivals around the world.
Her Style
What sets Notaro apart from other comedians is her ability to make audiences laugh while also addressing serious and sometimes painful topics, such as illness, grief, and loss. Her humor is often self-deprecating, but never mean-spirited, and she has a gift for finding the absurdity in even the darkest situations.
Other Work
In addition to her stand-up work, Notaro has also made a name for herself as an actor and writer. She has appeared in several TV shows and films, including "Transparent," "The Sarah Silverman Program," and "Instant Family," and has written for shows like "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "One Mississippi," a semi-autobiographical Amazon series that she created and starred in.
Overall, I cried laughing and I sat between friends and my wife who were all, also, laughing uncontrollably. If you haven't yet experienced the brilliance of Tig Notaro, I highly recommend checking out her work.
By Jerry Mooney
Co-founder