An American comedian and writer living and working in Europe, Abby Wambaugh makes a cheerful metropolitan debut as the author and performer of The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows, which opened last weekend at Dixon Place. An award-winner at the Edinburgh Fringe festival, The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows presents a clever idea and delivers a sometimes funny, always agreeable 65 minutes on the Lower East Side, thanks in part to its maker’s appealing persona and performance. Sporting mom jeans, a boxy flannel shirt, a pixie haircut and a mischievous smile, Wambaugh is such a warm, friendly presence let’s break formal style here and refer to her as Abby.
Formerly a schoolteacher in Brooklyn and currently based in Copenhagen, Abby is a non-binary identifying woman. (Some of Abby’s comedy draws upon people’s confusion over her sexuality.) Wed to a Danish man, Abby is the 30s-something mom of two kids. Not so long ago Abby unexpectedly decided to be a comedian. The audience learns this and more about Abby during her performance, which mixes stand-up storytelling and presentational comedy bits as she offers samples from 17 shows she thought about doing. A modest screen proclaims their titles.
Several of Abby’s gambits are goofy, such as The Vacuum Cleaner Show when she scoots about on a rolling chair making loud roaring noises and briefly getting attached to the pants leg of somebody in the front row. Certain acts will involve viewers, like Party Games I Invented in High School, where Abby’s odd riddles will cue the audience into yelling in unison the phrase “yeast infection!” Old Man Learns Parkour sees Abby gingerly clambering over several rows of spectators. An amusing highlight is Scare the Banana, originated by Abby as a way to coax a picky daughter to eat. It finds Abby wearing a banana headdress and, well, it’s too cute to give away here except to note who knew bananas frightened so easily?
It is safe to mention that amid more autobiographical humor involving pregnancy, a Justin Bieber singing toothbrush, farts, the horrors of Danish rye bread, the dullness of a David Sedaris speaking event and two non-binary oranges chatting in a fruit bowl, Abby eventually talks about a serious occurrence in her life. As solo shows often tend to be structured, this triste sequence is positioned later in the narrative so Abby can punctuate her funny stuff by being earnest for a while. If it’s not unexpected, the passage nonetheless remains legitimately poignant and Abby confides the details briefly and well.
Not nearly so well managed is Abby’s occasionally mumbling diction and a tendency to rush the punch lines; being conversational in manner provides a nice sense of spontaneity, but it never should risk clarity. Staged by Lara Ricote in a casual fashion, the physical production is sparse. The dozen or so props that the baby-faced comedian employs during her easy, impish performance share an obviously homemade quality, which lends a naïve charm to the proceedings. Staged in fancier surroundings than Dixon Place, The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows may look tatty, but then it’s an unlikely project for Las Vegas. Meanwhile, it’s nice to meet Abby Wambaugh. Let’s look forward to seeing her again sometime.
The First 3 Minutes of 17 Shows opened October 4, 2025, at Dixon Place and runs through October 25. Tickets and information: abbynyc.com
