A brilliant night of entertainment, too many hilarious moments; even for an Asian to count!
Presented by: OzAsia Festival
Reviewed: 9 November 2024
What makes the The Special Comedy Comedy Special award winning and sold-out? Is it the lineup, the freshness of humour, or the relatable encounters?
As one of my favourite additions to the OzAsia Festival, we spent the evening laughing at the experiences of Asian Australians, whose observational humour drew on cultural insights, challenges, and the stereotypes they face. As someone who is half Chinese, I thoroughly enjoyed the cultural satire. Hosted by Jason Chong, this evening’s lineup included Urvi Majumdar, Harry Jun, Sashi Perera, Takashi Wakasugi, Kushi Venkatesh, Lizzy Hoo, Lawrence Leung, Jennifer Wong and Sami Shah.
Longtime comedian, podcaster and ABC Radio Adelaide host, Jason Chong, did an excellent job hosting the event. He created a sense of connection by engaging the audience from the start, and his ability to turn audience responses into instant comedy set the energy high right from the beginning. Between sets this continued with his witty remarks on each comedian’s act.
Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2023 nominee Sashi Perera, Melbourne-based Pakistani-Australian Sami Shah, and local Adelaideans Jason Chong and ABC’s Chopsticks or Fork? host Jennifer Wong returned this year, each with fresh new material.
This year also showcased Urvi Majumdar representing India, Harry Jun representing Korea, Japanese-born comedian Takashi Wakasugi, Network 10’s Have You Been Paying Attention? star Lizzy Hoo, and ABC’s WTFAQ’s host Lawrence Leung. 2025 SA Young Australian of the Year Nominee and South Australia’s Funniest Teen of 2023, Kushi Venkatesh, whose talent has been recognised at the young age of nineteen, also made an appearance.
I was so entertained by the show and the great lineup of comedians, that I simply must respect MC Chong’s wishes, which was for any reviewers in the audience to mention in their write up that there was talk of Star Wars during the night, and it was in relation to body parts. Why did one comedian’s dad talk of having Star Wars on his… …?
If you want to discover the answer, and some other interesting truths about life, stereotypes, body parts, and the experiences of Asian Australians, I highly recommend this show. It was excellent last year, and even funnier this year.
Reviewed by Rebecca Wu
Photo credit: Helen Page
Venue : Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season: Ended
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