KRIS KOLDEN/DN Comedian Margaret Cho mimics her mother during her performance at the Rococo Theatre Friday. Cho's edgy comedy both shocked and enlightened the packed house.

A packed house at the Rococo Theatre greeted Cho and her opening act, Bruce Daniels, Friday night.

The hip, young crowd visibly was eager to see Cho and her risqué, laugh-till-it-hurts routine.

Daniels, a Chicago native, did an excellent job of warming up the already energetic audience.

He eloquently spoke about his "white friends" (Daniels is black), and how they think he is "whiter" than they are just because he speaks so-called proper English.

"No, I'm not whiter than you, I'm just smarter than you," he flatly said.

He addressed many areas of pop culture, including the insanity of both "Grand Theft Auto" and "American Idol."

Daniels had perfect timing and delivery, and my only complaint was that he wasn't on stage long enough.

But the primarily 20-something crowd roared with excitement when Cho, clad in hot pink spandex pants and a sparkly top, took the stage.

Some may have been shocked by Cho's onslaught of gritty tales, and yes, her stand-up routine is not for the faint of heart.

But this crowd knew what they were in for.

In the evening's first extended piece, she spoke about the boredom and bartering that accompanies sex in a long-term relationship.

In an ongoing riff, Cho adopted the over-the-top mannerisms of the barkers outside Bangkok's sex clubs and her experiences traveling around Asia.

"I like going to Asia because there's a lot of Asian people there. Seriously," she said.

Cho's strength is she pushes things beyond the limit. Just when you think she won't go any further, she does.

In probably the night's most hilarious tale, Cho recounted an event that involved her losing control of her bowels while in a traffic jam.

While being extremely candid, Cho's humor also is highly intelligent.

She described her elementary school days when her Korean mother would pack her lunchbox.

"When everyone else had Ding-Dongs and Capri Sun, I had dried fish and peanuts. You can't trade that."

Cho also spoke about her desire to be an actress -- but she wants to steer clear of the rampant Asian stereotypes.

"I don't want to play a manicurist, a pissed off liquor store owner, I don't want to ride a bicycle with five of my family members and I can't run up a wall."

As the night wore on, Cho's performance only got better, and eventually, more politically and socially charged.

Although she claimed she's "not a breeder" (she had a messy experience helping a friend deliver a baby), she wondered if there was any way to purposely have a gay child.

"They're not going to shoot up the school because it would get in the way of yearbook."

After an incident in which her father called her a "fat ballerina," Cho directed her dialogue toward the issue of eating disorders and cosmetic surgery.

"Plastic surgery is the torture, mutilation and murder of women," Cho said, waiting for the audience's cheers to die down.

"But I'm still going to get it."

Cho always has made it her business to courageously speak for the oppressed: Asian Americans, homosexuals, women or any other minority.

Her willingness to address any taboo topic has won her audiences all over the world, as well as a secure following in Lincoln.

Way to go, University Program Council for bringing a smart, cutting and politically aware voice into our town.