Margaret Cho review, 8/27 at the Paramount
August 31st, 2010 11:09 am PT

Gillian Gaar
Seattle Pop Culture Examiner

One of the problems in writing about a Margaret Cho show is that most of her jokes (especially in this performance) are unprintable. Such was the case when Cho returned to Seattle on August 27 with her new show, “Cho Dependent.”

The show began with a brief set from comedian John Roberts, who utilized a variety of wigs to create such characters “Ronald Michael McDonald” (yes, who sings). There was no intermission; at the end of his set, Roberts simply introduced the lady of hour, who strode on stage to massive applause (Cho has a most loving audience in Seattle, one reason her live-in-concert film Notorious C.H.O. was shot in Seattle, at the Paramount).

From the beginning, with her graphic description of the results of drinking olive oil to help one’s throat (something American Idol contestants apparently do, and not an anecdote you want to hear on a full stomach) to her accidental “sexting” of her mother (a nice way to get mom in, though too short for fans of her mama impersonations), sex and scatological humor was front and center. There’s a new undertow of poignancy though, with some of the jokes concerning how it can be increasingly difficult to have a sex life as you get older — making one think that reaching menopause is certain to provide her with a wealth of new material for jokes.

Given her longtime support of gay rights, there was surprisingly little about the recent gay marriage fights (and successes) in this country and around the world. Other topics included her disorienting stay in Peachtree City, Georgia, where her TV show Drop Dead Diva is shot; “It’s weird when your apartment is the ghetto, the gay neighborhood, and Chinatown,” she observed. Detailing her own drug exploits, she praised “Seattle stoners” as being “really the true Christians.” The show’s most truly subversive moment was when she managed find to humor (albeit of a dark nature) in the Virginia Tech massacre of 2007, proving that yes, you can find comedy in every situation.

There were also a few songs from her new album, also entitled Cho Dependent (though she oddly didn’t mention the album’s release); “Your Dick,” her paean to a loved one’s genitalia, and “I’m Sorry,” a country-flavored number touching on the same relationship several months down the line, perhaps, as it concerns her lack of interest in a loved one’s genitalia. Roberts joined Cho for the encore, which turned out to be another song, “My Puss,” a catty parody of Mickey Avalon and Dirt Nasty’s “My Dick.” It had the audience walking out smiling, which is what a good comedy show should do. Cho is next set to appear as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. It’s a shame she won’t be paired with fellow contestant, Bristol Palin.