Margaret Cho / Selene Luna

Danforth Music Hall, Toronto ON, May 3

Photo: Kyle Christy

BY Julianna RomanykPublished May 4, 2015

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As the SheDot Festival drew to a close, there was no better act to celebrate fearless female funniness than the sweet yet raunchy Margaret Cho. During her performance, Cho never shied away from edgy subject matter, delving into everything from her insane intoxication experiences with Anna Nicole Smith and prescription drugs, to the time she bombed at a benefit gig for rape victims. Likewise, some of the biggest laughs of the night were during one of Cho's dirtiest jokes: her cringe-worthy enactment of what it would be like for a gay guy to attempt cunnilingus in the name of charity.
 
In addition, Cho also had the ability to contrast her shocking jokes with her poignant side: a rare talent only present in great seasoned comics. Cho opened her show by recounting some fond memories of Robin Williams and Joan Rivers, speaking about her love of Leonard Nimoy, and talking about how much she would miss all of them. She also was unafraid of being vulnerable: during her story about being expelled from a bath house because other people were "offended by her body," she expressed how hurt she was, yet still made the anecdote really funny. Furthermore, the fact that Cho never needed to move around on stage to keep the audience's attention further exhibited her mastery of stand up. During her show, she maintained the momentum of her performance with lots of hand gestures, and thrilled the crowd by sprinkling in spot-on impressions of her mother and Joan Rivers, as well as some hilarious act outs.
 
Opener Selene Luna also provided some gutsy comedy that completely killed. In fact, it was so good that a several people gave her a standing ovation. Luna performed fantastic material about the issues she deals with as a little person, such as strangers staring at her, and her parents telling her she has to marry someone her own size. Additionally, Luna  told an amusing joke about potheads constantly napping, and related an outstandingly funny story about being annoyed that her cousin's murder made her family pay less attention to her.
 

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