Activist comedy focuses on identity issues with an edge

By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer

Associated Press

Margaret Cho brings her "Notorious C.H.O." tour to the Maui Arts & Cultural Center at 7:30 p.m. tonight and the Blaisdell Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow (ticket information: 526-4400), where she will once again wax whacked on her Korean American upbringing, the politics of a woman's body, and her affinity with gay men.

Race, gender, sexuality and other issues of identity have been staples of the San Francisco native's act since she began her comedy career at the age of 16. But only recently has Cho been able to more deeply tap their comedic and emotional potential.

For Cho, the turning point came after the cancellation of her short-lived ABC sit-com, "All-American Girl" in 1994. The show — the first to revolve around an Asian American family — was considered ground-breaking, but Cho's fans chafed at the watered-down material, and Cho reportedly suffered permanent kidney problems attempting to lose 30 pounds at the network's behest.

The cancellation sent Cho into an "E! True Hollywood Story"-worthy spiral of depression and alcoholism. It also spurred the creation of Cho's one-woman show, "I'm the One That I Want," which garnered unanimous critical praise as a stage performance, and, later, as a performance film and book.

"It grew out of a lot of destructive behavior and ways of living that weren't serving me," Cho said. "It's a new area of my career. It's less about anything else than just growing up."

Cho is acutely aware that growing up can be dangerous for comedy. But so is activism. So are happiness and self-affirmation. And all have found a place in her evolving work.

"My audience is varied and amazing," Cho said. "Gays, hip young women, feminists, a lot of people who feel they're not part of the greater society."

Cho, an outspoken advocate of racial and gender equality, and gay rights, said she appreciates the opportunity to represent communities that lack political and social power.

"Comedy is my job, but I hope that it can also be a way to promote activism and to motivate people," she said. You can bring a message to your work and, if they're being entertained, the audience is willing to accept it. It's part of the exchange."

Cho Version 2001 continues to riff madly on pop culture touchstones while addressing deeper issues of dignity and humanity. The effect can be jarring, combining the poignancy of an Amy Tan novel with the club-mix cultural observations of, say, Wu Tang Clan. Or, as Cho envisions: "A combination of Marianne Williamson and Bjork."

University of Hawai'i associate professor Ruth Hsu, a specialist in Asian American and Asian diaspora literatures, post-colonial studies and feminism, said Cho's comedy extends the boundaries of pop culture.

"I think her work as a comedienne is really compelling," Hsu said. "She's is one of a few Asian American women to have worked successfully in the field.."

Cho, a favorite of local audiences since she first performed as a guest of the Gay and Lesbian Society at the University of Hawai'i nearly a decade ago, said she's looking forward to her return to the Islands.