Show Title: All You Can Laugh! 10^th Asian Comedy Night
Produced by: Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre
Studio: Roundhouse Performance Center, Vancouver
Run of show: January 9^th and 10^th, 2009

Reviewed By: Christine Lee (Vancouver Correspondent)

There are many reasons to be excited for the new year of 2009, especially if you have been a part of the Vancouver Asian Canadian Theatre (VACT). This ethnically diverse theatre company is celebrating its 10 year anniversary; over the past decade, the non-profit organization has staged over 30 productions which provide opportunities for Asian-Canadian actors in significant roles, reclaim Asian sterotypes and showcase Asian-Canadian cultural themes. One of the VACT’s most popular shows has been its annual comedy nights and this past weekend was its 10^th Asian Comedy Night, gathering Asian sketch comedy teams across North America for a memorable night of “all you can laugh”.

As host Tom Chin recalls, when the VACT first came up with the idea of having an Asian Comedy Night, it took six months to find just one Asian sketch team – OPM (Opening People’s Minds) all the way from Los Angeles. Since then, numerous Asian sketch groups have emerged throughout North America, many of which have found humour in second-generation Canadian/American issues. The VACT’s 10^th Asian Comedy Night brought together some of these most phenomenal groups -  18 Mighty Mountain Warriors, 2005 Bay Area’s Best Sketch Comedy Troupe and 2006 International Sketch Comedy Champions; The Kupps, husband and wife team from Toronto who have won multiple Canadian Comedy Award Winners; OPM, returning with the best of its run which won 2008 Best Sketch Comedy & Best Box Office from the San Francisco Fringe Fest; Vancouver’s own Hopsing’s Offspring and locally renowned Assaulted Fish, which has since established itself as one of Vancouver’s funniest acts. Special guest Jeffrey Yu has performed at local entertainment venues such as Yuk Yuk’s, Lefflines, Balthazars and the Urban Well and was titled Vancouver’s 2003 Funniest Comic with a Day Job.

The Roundhouse Performance Center is a cozy theater seating over 200 people. About three-quarters of the audience was Asian, although host Tom Chin remarked candidly that “sometimes we’re so white we forget we’re actually Asian”. The two and a half hour evening was indeed a barrel of laughs as the talented performers used witty and satirical humour to explore issues such as Asian customs within the family, the complex meaning of “American” and “immigrant”, cultural practices, cross-cultural dating and marriage, and Asian stereotypes. An immigrant from Asia myself, I related to many of the sketches on a personal level and enjoyed being able to laugh about these struggles along with the audience. Tom Chin was a fantastic host for the night, entertaining audiences with song, dance and education on the “10 Myths About Asians”. The fact that the performers were Asian and making fun of their own backgrounds provided an atmosphere where Asians could laugh freely; even those without an Asian background were able to appreciate and find the humour in all the sketches. Something to note is that many of the sketches include sexual content and some explicit language.

The night echoed what Joyce Lam, president of the VACT said in her message “the most wondrous feeling is that a community of Asian Canadian performers, writers, directors, and producers has come together for the purpose of making us laugh, think and play”. I am delighted that both comedy nights were sold out and would highly recommend everyone to keep their eyes out for this show in the future!

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