News
Charlyne Yi
Aug 22nd 2009, 10:50
I saw Charlyne Yi at the Arlington Cinema & Drafthouse last night. She was doing her stand-up routine which is certainly one of the more unusual comedy routines I've seen. She moves from simple pun-based jokes to telling ghost stories (in the form of a song) to explaining in some detail a peculiar poop dream she had, to songs about fights she's had with a husband she doesn't have. I don't know if the relationship-related jokes and stories are new to her routine, but they definitely feel punctuated by the recent exposure her movie Paper Heart has gotten. Most of her routine concentrates on the intersection of strange and awkward. For example, pulling someone from the audience up on stage and proceeding to use a child's play-doctor set to give the man an exam... and then proposing to him and then having that drive a song opportunity. It's a special kind of wonderful that's both hilarious and heart-warmingly cute. The bottom line is, while I wasn't laughing hysterically, I was really having fun. At this particular performance, Charlyne also had guest Glenn Donnellan on stage to play his electric baseball bat violin (I heard this interview on NPR), which was really a treat.