This was posted on Friday, August 11, 2017 by RODNEY HO/rho@ajc.com on his AJC Radio & TV Talk blog
For Tig Notaro, the Big C - cancer - remains a defining event in her life as a comic. The day after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she bared her soul on stage in a way that marked a new beginning for her - not the end, as she envisioned.
Five years later, fully recovered after a double mastectomy, she is happily married with twin boys via surrogate. She's filmed two documentaries and a comedy special, plus her semi-autobiographical Amazon series "One Mississippi," returning September 8 for a second season. And she is working on her latest hour-long special (network TBA) in stops across the country, including the Tabernacle on Sunday. (Buy tickets here.)
The latest special only alludes to her time with cancer. "I have a lot of material about marriage and kids," she said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I have some just nonsense that brings me joy and turn luckily brings the audience some joy. I have some stories and I touch on what I went through and where I am now. It's definitely a mix."
2012, to her, "feels like a lifetime ago," she said. "I can't believe where I was then."
At the time, she couldn't envision her life now in 2017: "I thought I'd be in a hole in the ground."
The "I have cancer" show propelled her career, allowing more fans to appreciate her deadpan and low-key, yet very open approach to comedy.
She had wanted her own family for a long time and now feels especially fortunate at age 46 to have one with her actress wife Stephanie Allynne, who is also involved in "One Mississippi" as a writer and a love interest season two.
"We really complement each other," Notaro said. "We have the same vision for our family and careers."
"It's a dream come true to have my sons and I feel like everything in my personal life and professional life is through the filter of being a parent now," she added. "But I feel like I'm in a really good head space. I feel very lucky to have them."
Not surprisingly, the lack of sleep was the toughest part in the early going. "There's no way to fully understand how little sleep you get even if people tell you repeatedly... There was no way to prepare for that. Luckily, they sleep through the night now. The first nine months were quite the situation."
Plus, she had to tape season two of "One Mississippi" at the same time. Surprisingly, she said, "I'm pretty blown away by my ability to function with no sleep."
While season one of "One Mississippi" largely shadows her actual life right after he mom died, season two will take some serious tangents. For instance, her character will move to Mississippi, something she herself hasn't done.
"Season two is somehow way more honest all the while being way more fictional," Notaro said. "Everything is rooted in honesty, either my own honesty or someone who is a writer on the show. "
She's been to Atlanta several times over the past 15 years for work: "It's a great city. I have a lot of friends who have moved there over the years. I feel the shows are all really fun."
A friend will take her to the best vegan restaurant in town, though she couldn't recall the name off hand. She went vegan after her digestive disease that happened in 2012 right before her mom died and breast cancer came along. She has suffered from chronic lingering pain from that until recently. "In the past couple of months, I've been pain free," she said. "It feels like I've taken some magical portion."
COMEDY PREVIEW
Tig Notaro
7:30 p.m. Sunday, August 13, 2017
$32.50
Tabernacle
152 Luckie Street NW, Atlanta
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