| The Westbeth Theatre
Center is becoming a breeding ground for comedy-stage hybrids. After fostering
innovative works by Sandra Bernhard, Eddie Izzard, and The Umbilical Brothers,
the Center is offering Margaret Cho a platform to dive into unfamiliar
waters. More than a stand-up routine, comedienne Cho’s solo piece “I’m
The One That I Want” is an engaging piecce of theatre. Starting off with
her trademark riffs on sex, being a “fag-hag,” and her Korean American
family, she soon takes the audience on a guided tour of the darker side
of show business.
After a quick rise as a promising comic, Cho became the first Asian-American to star in her own sitcom, ABC’s “All-American Girl.” But there were one or two catches to this dream come true. The network execs thought that she was too fat and demanded that she go on a strict diet. As a result, her kidneys collapsed. More troubles followed, with the execs distorting her identity and comic voice and finally canceling the series to replace it with “'The Drew Carey Show,' because he’s so skinny,” quips Cho of her less-than-svelte time-slot successor. She descended into a haze of alcohol, drugs, and self-pity, finally realizing, “I wasn’t gonna die just because my sitcom had been cancelled.” Cho is a natural storyteller and mimic, creating quick-sketch portraits of the people in her life. The most fascinating is her own mother, who emerges as half-comic caricature and half-caring parent. The performer also makes pointed observations about sexism, racism and political correctness. She sarcastically lists her disqualifications for being an Asian role model (“I didn’t play the violin. I didn’t f—k Woody Allen.”) It’s funny, concise, well-paced, irreverent, and revealing Margaret Cho is the one that I want. |