Comedian Margaret Cho performed to a nearly full house at Bender Arena on Oct. 18 as part of Homecoming. Cho was in regular form discussing topics ranging from politics to self-defecating while stuck in traffic.
When discussing the California recall election she said, "If we are going to recall an election, we should recall the f--ing Presidential election." She went on to articulate her views by giving a middle finger to anti-abortionists and also saying, "I'm scared of terrorism, but I'm more scared of the Patriot Act."
Some students said that Cho's blend of vulgar humor and political commentary was poignantly funny and appropriate.
"She was quite funny. I thought it was interesting how she mixed serious political commentary with jokes," said AU freshman Matt Newsom. "I thought it was a good medium for getting her views across."
While the crowd supported Cho, not all AU students shared her views.
"The reason I didn't go to see Margaret Cho is because she is against everything that is good: Republicans and Catholics," said sophomore Chrissy McGee. "However, I am not opposed to her appearing at AU."
While Cho presented strong opinions on political issues, she also delivered the trademark aspects of her stand-up, including her most famous impression, that of her elderly mother, and jokes revolving around sexuality and her Asian ethnicity.
Cho brought up her lack of Asian role models growing up, saying that the closest thing she had to one was Hello Kitty "and she doesn't even have a mouth," Cho said.
Cho's stand-up routine was energetic and active. She wore a pair of black kneepads that enabled her to scoot around the floor of the stage. She also employed several dancing positions into her act, at some point doing plies to accentuate her experience as an eight-year-old ballerina.
Cho's opener, Bruce Daniels, was a short warm-up to Cho's in-your-face style. He mostly discussed his coming out and his relationship with his mother.
"I thought that the opener was pretty predictable in his material and not very stimulating," said sophomore Annie O'Connell.
Daniels appeared a few times during Cho's set, including during her grand finale in which she and Daniels performed their "hit" rap single that has yet to be released. Cho and Daniels serenaded AU with their rhymes over a generic rap beat. However, they seemed to lose some of the crowd, perhaps because the rap performance followed a brief, but more serious question and answer session with the crowd.
Of the few AU students who were able to speak, most asked about Cho's political comments, though one student requested a hug, which Cho delivered happily.
Overall, Cho received a positive response from the Bender crowd, successfully combining her trademark humor with biting political commentary that left most students laughing.
"I liked it a lot," said freshman Paul Perry. "I think if we were all a little more honest and a little more out there, things would be a little bit different. I just thought she was really funny and upfront and refreshing"
