Now a woman gets the joke

• Source: Global Times
• [09:26 August 26 2010]
• Comments

"The topic was chosen by our production team. First, because this topic is seldom mentioned in Zhou Libo's talk show and, second, it is a fresh idea in China for a woman, especially a middle-aged woman, to talk frankly about men," Sun said.

However, Hu's two-hour-plus comedy routine centered on men has provoked some criticism from the media and a little from some audience memebers.

"Some don't like having a woman as a stand-up comedian. And some traditional Chinese men, especially married men, cannot accept the fact that a woman will talk in public about what they really think and feel. They consider it rude and vulgar," Hu explained.

"And I also noticed that a few sensitive words, like 'condom' - even when I mentioned them in context - seemed to shock the audience and kept it silent for a while with only some scattered giggles. Before the show opened, our team told me that I should watch some videos by Oprah, the famous American talk show hostess and learn something from her. But, I know I can neither be her nor Zhou Libo," Hu said.

"At present, different reactions from the audiences are understandable. After all, we are just pioneers. We will carry on and in future shows, we expect to divide the topic of 'men' into categories, like men's health, men's love. And we might add some new elements, like dancing and singing," Sun said.

"I firmly believe Shanghai needs shows like this no matter whether it is Haipai Qingkou or The Rose with a Golden Mouth. They help balance each other," Sun said. In fact, Sun was one of the original creators for Zhou Libo's Haipai Qingkou several years ago.

Sun lived in Hong Kong for decades and he knew how popular stand-up comedy was there. This gave him the inspiration to create this kind of show for Shanghai.

"We have planned 80 performances for The Rose for the next year in Shanghai and the ticket prices will go up. The market here has a huge potential," Sun said.

Date: Tomorrow to Sunday,

7:30 pm

Venue: Lyceum Theater

兰心大剧院

Address: 57 Maoming Road South 茂名南路57号

Tickets: 100 to 300 yuan

Call 6217-2426 for details