Although a lot of jokes were politically incorrect, all in all, this was an outstanding show by these talented Asian-American comics from Los Angeles. Presented by the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre, the 11th Annual Asian Comedy Night was well-received by an audience of mostly Asian Canadians.

Comics Elliot Chan, Michael Hornbuckle, Greg Watanabe, Pearl Wong and Peter Wong tickled the ribs of an almost full-house audience last June 6th during their 7pm performance. Elliott Chan started off, being the host, to crack some of his jokes. The audience didn't like some of his jokes, such as being a rapist is courageous. What's funny about being a rapist?

But the skits that followed were good. And I could tell these comedians were having a good time. The supposedly 90-minute show even went overtime, with the audience participating and singing along, karaoke-style, enumerating Japanese food and cars to the tune of the Japanese classic, Cherry Blossoms.

Some of the skits weren't too tasteful, such as the cannibal theme of "To Serve South Koreans", a poke against the hungry North Koreans. Other political skits such as "World Cup 2002" brought out the delicate issue of Korean comfort women which I found a bit risque.

I liked the video dating skits, especially the one about Dave who takes revenge for his broken-hearted sister. I was laughing, as the rest of the audience was, in another date skit, with Pearl Wong and Greg Watanabe, where they said "I love you" in different languages. The African way of saying it with tongue clucking was hilarious.

The "Penis Restaurant" skit was so-so, making fun of Chinese cuisine. On the other hand, the "Dick Cheney Show" skit was good, and Pearl Wong was as good as Tina Fey in her impersonation of Sarah Palin. I also liked the satire "Torture", hitting on the conservative Republicans. "The Clown" wasn't too bad, as the clown would wake up the audience by mingling with them and getting them to play with his props.

But I think the best was "An Appreciation of the Asian Male Body" where Hornbuckle, Watanabe, and Wong would strip down to their undies to prove whether the Asian penis was or wasn't a myth. They don't go all the way, of course, and Pearl Wong, on a quiet aside, comments: "Chicken shits!"

This was an entertaining theatrical event, and if these comics have survived for 15 years, it just shows that they're good. More power to you, and looking forward to seeing you again in the near future!

© 2010 Ed Farolan

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