Cho offers hope through laughter in turbulent times

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Writer

Margaret Cho is ready to riff on the events of the day in concerts in Honolulu Saturday and on Maui Sunday. Austin Young photos MARGARET CHO "Assassin" tour 7:30 p.m. Saturday Blaisdell Concert Hall $25, $35, $45 (877) 750-4400, ticketmaster.com 7:30 p.m. Sunday Castle Theatre, Maui Arts & Cultural Center $25, $35, $45 (808) 242-7469, mauiarts.org

"I guess I'm trying to define hope in a very difficult time, considering what's going on in the world," said Cho, 37, speaking from Toronto on just the third night of her just-launched "Assassin" tour.

"Face it, people can't find comfort with government and the administration," said Cho. "I think a show like mine is important to give people a sense of levity about everything. To offer hope, maybe, and some kind of connection."

She's taking her new show to key cities such as Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco and Seattle, among others, through June, then likely will wind up the tour in several Australian cities.

Cho considers comedy a relief, a panacea, an escape valve to release pressure. "But I'm not sure which is more difficult — the challenge to make people laugh during rough times, when they need it, or the rewards of accomplishing this goal. You have to be sensitive to people's needs and ideas, but you also have to be able to make them laugh. It's hard, but I welcome the challenge."

Her shows traditionally are peppered with no-holds-barred gibes and some expletives, under seemingly threatening banners — "Revolution," "State of Emergency" and "Notorious C.H.O." come to mind — but Cho says it's all about mirroring prevailing attitudes, recurring postures, in and out of her immediate sphere. Her themes sound abrasive and assaultive, but this kind of arsenal has worked for her well in the past. So why stop?

"My shows change a bit with time," she said. She tweaks as she goes along, depending on how crowds respond. It's all part of the process of being one of the most active stand-up comedians of her generation.

"I'm just following what happens in the news," she said of her topics. And for the record, she's a kinder, gentler sort in an interview. No raised voices. No swearing. A lot of letting the hair down. No finger-pointing. Some sharing of philosophies. In short: the serious side of sharing hilarity.

Certainly, Cho — who always puts Hawai'i on her itinerary — is one of mainstream comedy's major draws and one who is empowering, especially for females.

"I'm really not sure, or I'm unaware, of just what kind of impact I have," she said of her fan base and her influence. "I don't pay attention to who's listening, I just go about (with her work)."

Among the groups that have embraced her are NOW (National Organization for Women), GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), NGLTF (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) — and she's even been a poster girl for the ALA (American Library Association), advocating literacy and reading along with a range of other show-biz and sports personalities.

On stage, it's no secret that she's bold, brassy, daring and aggressive. She finds her targets, aims, then fires away. It's all raw stuff, with very little fluff, and commanding as well as it is contagious.

Consequently, she's constantly on the edge, providing groundbreaking comedy that sometimes winds up controversial.

"I pay attention to the news, and what's going around me, and there are so many areas where you can go," she said of her approach to making folks laugh. "I'm constantly learning — by listening. To what people talk about, to what they tune in."

Of Korean heritage, Cho was born in San Francisco, the daughter of immigrants, and grew up in the Haight district in the 1970s. She started toying with stand-up comedy at age 16, appearing at a club above her parents' Rose & Thistle bookstore. As a prize for one of the contests she won, she earned an opening slot on a Jerry Seinfeld gig, a break that enabled her to take on larger bookings in Los Angeles.

A quickie glimpse at Margaret Cho Currently reading: "Conversations with Contemporary Film Directors" Travels with: A PowerBook G-4 laptop. "Has all the stuff I need." Last movie seen: "Better Luck Tomorrow," a film by Justin Lin CD fave: "Rai — Rebel Music from Algeri." What she does when she's not on stage: "Watch movies, eat, sleep; I don't have a lot of nights off."

Does she yearn to return to a sitcom on the tube?

"I never say never, but I don't think so," said Cho. "It would certainly be fun — but it has to be the right thing. We'll see what happens."

Cho has just completed production of a comedy she co-wrote with Bruce Daniels, titled "Bam Bab & Celeste," about "kids who have arrested development and they don't grow up. Besides writing, I produced and star in it (as Celeste), and it was directed by Lorene Machado, who directed my earlier concert films."

Movies, she said, can be "incredibly gratifying the way a performance can't be. That's why doing ('Bam Bab & Celeste') was something I really treasure; I felt so very connected and close to the project."

So what's the best thing about being Margaret Cho?

"I think it's the fact that I enjoy what I do."

And the worst?

"Traveling makes you very tired; exhaustion is something I have to deal with a lot. I don't like it, but it happens. It's not that I don't like to do shows, I do — and I really don't have a sense of fear, of stage fright. I can walk on, go on anywhere; but it does wear you out."

Reach Wayne Harada at wharada@honoluluadvertiser.com, 525-8067 or fax 525-8055.