Correction: An earlier version of this review in one sentence used incorrect pronouns for Hannah Gadsby. Sincere apologies for the mistake.

The publicists for Hannah Gadsby’s new stand-up show, Woof!, have urged reviewers to withhold a lot of details that they call “spoilers” and that the Australian comedian urged audiences to “keep among us.” It’s a curious admonition given that the show contains nothing much in the way of stunning personal revelations, certainly nothing remotely close to the trauma Gadsby recounted so memorably in their 2017 breakout Nanette.

Woof!, which debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August and opened Sunday at downtown New York’s Abrons Arts Center, is a palimpsest of Gadsby’s earlier, more revolutionary shows. That’s not to say that it isn’t funny, or that Gadsby has lost their distinctive cockeyed sensibility when discussing topics both quotidian (“Remember when the news was nightly?”) and esoterically obscure (“What’s up with whales?”). Gadsby remains a gifted observationalist, with an astute ability to turn phrases and to express antipathies that only seem outrageous on the surface. Take Gadsby’s stated hatred for Netflix (which will air some edited version of this material at some point) and Taylor Swift, whom Gadsby describes as a “can of Coke masquerading as a sorority cult.”

Gadsby, who uses they/them pronouns and has hosted a Netflix special showcasing “genderqueer” comedians, has addressed their discomfort with sudden fame before. And you can see a certain striving to remain relatable — the stated desire to do their own laundry in fancy hotels, for instance. One sign of Gadsby’s current disconnect can be found in the awkward crowd work, never an aspect of stand-up that was solidly in their comfort zone. Gadsby’s particular form of popularity (or perhaps New York audience’s assertiveness) has led to a certain kind of vocal shout-out from fans, not so much heckles as vocal running commentary, which Gadsby at first shot down (“I’m not in a listening mood, but good try”) but later accepted and encouraged even as it threw them off their rhythm.

It may be unreasonable to expect continued innovation from a comic whose signature work was such a mold-breaking masterpiece, one that paved the way for a whole subgenre of comedy rooted in breaking down trauma in artful and darkly comic ways. Gadsby insists that their creative well of personal tragedy hasn’t run dry — “There’s a whole herd of baby reindeer I could slay for your consumption,” they say in yet another Netflix reference — but there’s a sense that Gadsby is no longer as interested in dredging up fresh anecdotes of despair. Been there, bled that. What we’re left with are playful, artfully phrased riffs on familiar themes like lesbian culture, autism, social media, and contemporary U.S. politics that feel like they might have been discarded pages from the notebooks for past shows. Gasby still has the ability to make us laugh, and to ponder some of modern life’s absurdities, and good on them for that.

HANNAH GADSBY: WOOF!
Abrons Arts Center, Off Broadway
Running time: Roughly 85 minutes
Tickets on sale through Oct. 27