Haddish is ready for Prime Time

Tiffany Haddish, the rising comic & break out- star from last summer’s hit comedy Girls Trip, made a stop in Washington D.C. on March 10th for her #sheready tour. Haddish, who sold out two back shows at the legendary Warner Theater, is the prime of her career right now. Although she has been active in comedy since 2006 and appeared in numerous movies & television shows, her real breakout didn’t happen until this past summer.

The question on everyone’s mind is, how does Tiffany’s stand up compared to her role in Girls Trip? For the most part, Haddish was on fire with her comedy delivery. Haddish’s comedic niche appears to be in storytelling. The majority of her set revolved around her newfound success in Hollywood. One of the recurring joke themes of the night involved her description of what some African American celebrities smell like, and in Tiffany’s words, the majority smell like success. Tiffany described everyone from Drake to Oprah, and for the most part, it delivered.

Another highlight of the night was Tiffany discussing the Hollywood legends she’s met recently. When describing her experience meeting Steven Spielberg & Meryl Streep, Haddish said she was flattered by the compliments she received and followed it with “I’m the same way on set.” Throughout the set, she mentioned her goal is to work with Meryl Streep with the dream casting, having Streep cast as her mom in a Girl’s Trip sequel.

While Haddish was confident throughout the night, it was evident that her style of stand up, may not be for everyone due to the sometimes silence in the audience. Haddish could have quickly gone the safe route and repeated Dina from Girls Trip for the entire set, to appease the masses. Instead, Haddish, for me, came across as a motivational speaker and an improv specialist in training. The joy of comedy is that it’s layered. While some comics can others write jokes, sometimes the delivery can fall flat. In Haddish’s case, she seems to be able to adjust to any situation and deliver a punch line with success.

Haddish closed out her set with a Girls Trip story. Letting the audience know, she was permitted to improvise a lot of her character’s lines. One take was too raunchy for the studio but involved a cheating spouse, Epsom salt, and a branding iron.  

Taking a page from Kevin Hart’s playbook, Haddish’s stand up show, was a great night out. While Haddish may not be a polished comic who connects every joke to the previous one, she is a confident woman who will make us laugh for years. She’s ready for the big time.

Final Grade B