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means, however, that although Cho can be sidesplittingly funny at
times, you're often more likely to find yourself cheering her on,
or nodding vigorously in agreement, than laughing out loud. There
are plenty of other comedians who just make you laugh, but Cho is
intent on making you think, too.
In
"Revolution," Cho seems to include fewer personal
stories than she has in the past, in favor of broader rants on the
manifestations of homophobia, sexism, and racism in American culture.
Homophobia is a topic of particular interest to Cho since she was
very influenced by gay men growing up, but in "Revolution"
(as in her previous performances) she talks mostly about discrimination
against gay men rather than lesbian or bisexual women.
Body
image--or more specifically, America's obsession with thin women--is
another topic that hits close to home for Cho, partly because of
her own experiences with her short-lived 1995 sitcom "All-American
Girl" in which she was pressured by network execs to lose weight,
and also just because she's a woman in America who looks around
now and then. This topic consequently crops up frequently in "Revolution,"
as it does in almost all of her performances; Cho in fact is one
of the leading high-profile voices in America on the harmful and
deleterious effects of the constant pressure on women to be thin.
"Revolution"
also includes Cho's trademark send-up of Asian stereotypes
in America, including a very funny segment on her experiences being
asked to audition for "asian" roles for Hollywood films
that typically involve strolling in the background with a chicken
under her arm, doing someone's nails, or saying "Welcome to
Japan, Mr. Bond."
Taking
on asian-american stereotypes seems to be less of a focus in "Revolution"
than some of her earlier performances, however, and she also doesn't
spend as much time in this performance imitating or making fun of
her mother (which is too bad, since these imitations are often among
her funniest bits, but understandable given that there are only
so many jokes she can wring from that subject without repeating
herself).
As
for official American politics and politicians, Cho doesn't say
much beyond an opening segment on George Bush and his inability
to pronounce "nuclear" correctly; her imitation of Condaleeza
Rice getting frustrated with Bush's consistently poor grammar is
so funny it leaves you begging for more. It is actually a little
surprising given her decidedly liberal bent that Cho doesn't include
more commentary on Bush or the Republican Party in her act, but
perhaps that's because her focus is more on the evil perpetrated
by the Average Joe in daily life, rather than by organizations or
institutions.
"Revolution"
is a comedic call-to-arms which succeeds pretty well at
entertaining and inspiring. It's consistent with the performance
we've come to expect from Cho, but reflects an evolution of her
comedy, as well. Longtime Margaret Cho fans will find "Revolution"
to be familiar ground with enough changes to keep
it interesting, and listeners unfamiliar with Cho will find it a
good introduction to her work.
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