I’ve seen Kathleen Madigan do standup for more than 30 years, and was happy to have her as a frequent guest on my radio show. Both on the air and onstage, she has always delivered. Her new Prime Video special, “Hunting Bigfoot,” is no exception.
Kathleen’s strength lies in seeing absurdity everywhere and knowing how to exploit it for comedy. Whether it’s the impact of coronavirus, the differences in dealing with millennials and old politicians, sports betting, or a furry convention, she observes them all and turns them into comedic gems.
Her family continues to give her tons of things to make fun of, whether it’s her father possibly having a heart attack or her mother trying to use a new cellphone — a subject Kathleen could base an entire special on, I’m sure. But she also manages to work in bits about her siblings and nieces and nephews, too.
Like other top comics of her generation, Kathleen graduated from clubs to theaters several years ago. But she’s been touring for a very long time, and it’s no surprise that, several times in “Hunting Bigfoot,” she refers to the inevitable day she gets off the road. The quandary is that, as draining as constant travel and one-nighters can be, she draws material from her interactions with people she meets in every town, including the ones in Georgia who urged her to “zip-line into another state.”
I hope that day doesn’t arrive soon, because I look forward to seeing the world through Kathleen’s eyes for a long time to come.