Review: An Evening with David Sedaris at The Hanover Theatre
Featured photo: David Sedaris at the Frankfurt Book Fair, 2018. Photo by Harald Krichel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Photos and video weren’t allowed at the show.
We knew him from audiobooks on long car rides. Hearing him live, with the house lights up, was something else entirely.
Our verdict: a must-see (4.8 out of 5)
Reading his books is one thing. Sitting in a theatre while he reads them to you, then answers every question the audience throws at him, is a different experience altogether.
| Show | An Evening with David Sedaris |
| Venue | The Hanover Theatre, Worcester, MA |
| Seen | September 30, 2026 (one night only) |
| Run time | Almost two hours, including an audience Q&A |
| Best for | Adults, whether you’re a longtime fan or have only heard the audiobooks |
| Rating | 4.8 out of 5 |
| Tip | Go even if you’ve only read one book. You’ll leave wanting to read the rest. |
A couple of weeks ago, Adam Leffert (my partner, and a producer at Feisworld Media) and I saw David Sedaris for one night only at The Hanover Theatre in Worcester. To be honest, I haven’t read all of his books. Most of what I know comes from his audiobooks, which Adam and I listen to together in the car. This isn’t a critic’s review; it’s what it felt like for two regular people in the audience. And I was blown away.
A small man on a very big stage
Picture that huge Hanover stage with nothing on it but David Sedaris, a small platform and a lectern, and one of his wonderfully funky outfits. He’s slight and soft-spoken. He even joked about his size. And he held the entire theatre for almost two hours, mostly just by reading. He was natural and incredibly engaging the whole time. I found it astonishing.
A storyteller’s roller coaster
Anyone who follows his work knows that his family runs through his stories, including the loss of his sister to suicide. What amazed me was the pacing. One moment the whole room is cracking up; the next, he arrives at that loss in a single plain sentence, and then he’s straight into the next story.
It reminded me of a roller coaster: the clicking as you crawl to the top, nothing ahead but the horizon, knowing the drop is coming and still being taken by it. Then the ride ends and life goes back to normal. You can feel how much he loves his siblings, and how honest he is about his own struggles. He never sets himself above the audience. He tells his stories as an ordinary person, but with real mastery.
He holds the thing and the opposite of the thing at the same time.
Adam Leffert, producer, Feisworld Media
Ordinary and extraordinary at once
Adam put it best. Listening to Sedaris is a bit like hearing a tall tale from a stranger at a bar: there’s always a twist you’d never have heard if you hadn’t met this person. And yet it all feels like it could have happened to you, or that you could have been on the trip with him. He brings you in close.
Adam also noticed how many opposites Sedaris carries at once. He can seem frail and powerful, small and commanding, in the same story. Sometimes he’s the little rabbit facing the fox, and then the roles quietly reverse. He’s an openly gay man who came of age when that wasn’t front and center in American culture, and his kind of strength has nothing to do with being a John Wayne type. It’s calm and completely his own.
The part you can’t get from an audiobook
For me, this was the real difference between reading him and seeing him. He keeps the house lights up, so it suddenly feels like everyone is in the same room. Then he takes questions from the audience, and he doesn’t turn any of them away. He answers everything calmly.
One question was about why he doesn’t call Hugh, his partner, his husband. As we remember it, he told a story about a publisher insisting the book needed that word, and his answer was essentially: then don’t publish the book. It was said with such calm that the whole room loved it. You simply can’t get that kind of moment from a book or a recording.
Our verdict
A must-see, and my rating is 4.8 out of 5. If he comes back to Worcester, I want to see him again. Even if you know his work by heart, seeing it live is a different thing. And if, like me, you only know some of it, you’ll go home wanting to read the rest.
Not sure he’s for you? Adam’s advice: look up some clips of David Sedaris reading on YouTube and see for yourself. If you like what you hear, buy a ticket next time he’s in town.
Good to know
- Best for adults: the stories deal with grown-up themes and language
- About two hours, with readings followed by an audience Q&A
- No photos or video during the show
- He signs books before the show. The line was short, maybe 10 to 20 people, so arrive a little early if you want a signed copy
- Come with a question; he really does answer them
- New to him? Watch a few clips of his readings on YouTube first
More from The Hanover Theatre
- Review: Cirque Kalabanté’s Afrique en Cirque at The Hanover Theatre
- Beetlejuice: A Spirited Musical at The Hanover Theatre
- Alex McAleer (Mind Reader), Champions of Magic
We received complimentary tickets from The Hanover Theatre. All opinions are our own.
This review mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling, you can call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US).
