comedy show review: kathy griffin (my life on the ptsd-list)

Kathy Griffin is someone that I really admire. She is an outspoken advocate who regularly stands on the right side of history. She is an ally to marginalized groups of people, loudly stands with survivors, and even tried to have her brother arrested for his various abuses. (Read more about the latter here.) I am so impressed with her perspectives and the way she handles adversity. Recently, she came to a city near me on her My Life On The PTSD-List and shared all sorts of stories about wild celebrity encounters and her own challenges in more recent years. Kathy Griffin is a strong and powerful woman who has held onto her voice, despite those who tried in vain to take it from her. It was such a delight to see her perform live again. She is charisma personified. Since I had such a wonderful time, it only made sense to share some of my thoughts on the sold out show.

Sadly, there are no photographs from the comedy show to share here on the creation of beauty is art. That is because there was a strict no photo or video policy. Alas! At least I will always have my memories of that night to hold onto. Truthfully, it was such a great time. For starters, the crowd was fantastic. I often feel very unsafe in the world knowing how people are. (Politics, the pandemic, and all that has followed has really opened my eyes to the cruelty and selfishness out there.) However, this was a crowd that I felt very at ease in. Mentions of certain "problematic" celebrities and politicians resulted in murmurs of disappointment from the audience and full blow cheers when Kathy went in on them. What a relief to know that I was surrounded by people with the same kind of morals that I live by. Simply knowing that I was in a crowd full of people who very clearly cared about survivors was huge. Life isn't often like that. Hearing the audience - and Kathy - stand against rapists like Donald Trump, Danny Masterson, and Les Moonves was heartening, to say the least! There is still some good out there.

This was my second time seeing Kathy Griffin live. (The last time was in 2018, which you can read about here.) It was just as phenomenal as the first time. She is hilarious and manages to find humour in even the darkest moments life has to offer. It sounds awful to say that I was laughing about such serious topics as PTSD,  addiction, major health problems, and harassment....but that speaks to how impressive Kathy is as a comedian. She can take the worst possible experiences and find a way to heal through comedy. She is truly gifted. In addition to the personal stories of pain and hope and perseverance, there were all sorts of hilarious celebrity stores. Like how she trolled Elon Musk on Twitter, what it was like when she lived next to Kim Kardashian and Kanye West, meeting Wayne Gretzky, and more. I especially loved hearing about her more recent interactions with Sharon Stone and Jane Fonda while she heals from her divorce. Though I can't imagine being able to call up the incredible Jane Fonda when I'm having a hard time....Kathy was able to. And it was a delight to hear her stories. 

My Life on the PTSD-List was a vulnerable, powerful, and meaningful show. Kathy managed to make even the darkness something to laugh at. That is no easy feat! She is an incredible comedian, entertainer, and an inspiration. I love that she uses her voice to heal and stand up for what matters most. For two and a half hours, I was present, focused, and felt completely at ease. And I laughed a lot. Fingers crossed this will not be the last time the iconic Kathy Griffin comes to a city near me.