August 4, 2024  Morning Star

Review of Alvin Liu: Rice

‘The house of commons is a posh white peoples’ rap battle’

ALVIN LIU is from China, where a thriving stand-up scene has developed in the past few years in Shanghai and Beijing — though your entire venue might get shut down if someone makes a joke that could even vaguely be construed as a slight against the motherland. No such problems in Britain — yet — and there are some very funny Chinese comics up-and-coming on the London scene, including Chin Wang and the brilliant Blank Peng. Liu definitely has the chops to join them, with his by turns universal and deeply personal observations building up to an excellent debut hour. The set begins as all comedy shows should: with the performer’s mother singing a karaoke song in Mandarin, and it’s Liu’s relationship with his mother, across decades, continents, viewpoints, and languages, that form the backbone to his material. He is charm personified, putting this multinational and multilingual crowd immediately at ease — even the people who weren’t expecting it to be in English. We’re hooked into his world with a barrage of well-honed gags interspersed with quieter, more reflective, but still subversive material — some of which flies over the head of the audience, who seem occasionally unsure of how they are supposed to react. Particularly brilliant are sections on depression — knowingly presented as a decadent Western indulgence — and Chinese schooling, in which one learns that one plus one equals China has a thriving agricultural sector. Crowd-pleasing dunks on Japan — his perspective on Oppenheimer is worth the price of admission alone — are leavened with clever, unexpected observations on cultural differences over body image, sex, and sexuality. Liu’s thoughts on oppression, and how self-identity is policed even in the very young, are important in any language. The conclusion to this hour is strong, but could perhaps be better seeded early in the narrative. The bits on racism are beautifully observed but could do with being further unpacked; Liu’s relationship with the West, via English teachers and American hip hop, is a rich seam worthy of further exploration. And so, too, is the material about the country Liu and his mother find themselves in. “Sure we can’t buy freedom, but you can’t buy eggs,” points out Liu in a gleeful reversal of orientalist assumptions. Britain’s economic, cultural and political decline is skewered brilliantly here, and I’m curious to see how it goes down in, say, Dunstable, or Doncaster. Liu punches up and exposes the ludicrous nature of our own Parliament, and of our “two party” system — jokes that seem beyond our current, home-grown comedy establishment, but in a way that is inclusive, easy to access, and very, very funny. He’s definitely one to watch, and I don’t mean in a surveillance-state kind of way. Alvin Liu performs Rice at Museum of Comedy, London, on May 4, and then tours Click Here

August 4, 2024 Morning Star

Article about Alvin Liu: Rice

‘The house of commons is a posh white peoples’ rap battle’

ALVIN LIU is from China, where a thriving stand-up scene has developed in the past few years in Shanghai and Beijing — though your entire venue might get shut down if someone makes a joke that could even vaguely be construed as a slight against the motherland. No such problems in Britain — yet — and there are some very funny Chinese comics up-and-coming on the London scene, including Chin Wang and the brilliant Blank Peng. Liu definitely has the chops to join them, with his by turns universal and deeply personal observations building up to an excellent debut hour. The set begins as all comedy shows should: with the performer’s mother singing a karaoke song in Mandarin, and it’s Liu’s relationship with his mother, across decades, continents, viewpoints, and languages, that form the backbone to his material. He is charm personified, putting this multinational and multilingual crowd immediately at ease — even the people who weren’t expecting it to be in English. We’re hooked into his world with a barrage of well-honed gags interspersed with quieter, more reflective, but still subversive material — some of which flies over the head of the audience, who seem occasionally unsure of how they are supposed to react. Particularly brilliant are sections on depression — knowingly presented as a decadent Western indulgence — and Chinese schooling, in which one learns that one plus one equals China has a thriving agricultural sector. Crowd-pleasing dunks on Japan — his perspective on Oppenheimer is worth the price of admission alone — are leavened with clever, unexpected observations on cultural differences over body image, sex, and sexuality. Liu’s thoughts on oppression, and how self-identity is policed even in the very young, are important in any language. The conclusion to this hour is strong, but could perhaps be better seeded early in the narrative. The bits on racism are beautifully observed but could do with being further unpacked; Liu’s relationship with the West, via English teachers and American hip hop, is a rich seam worthy of further exploration. And so, too, is the material about the country Liu and his mother find themselves in. “Sure we can’t buy freedom, but you can’t buy eggs,” points out Liu in a gleeful reversal of orientalist assumptions. Britain’s economic, cultural and political decline is skewered brilliantly here, and I’m curious to see how it goes down in, say, Dunstable, or Doncaster. Liu punches up and exposes the ludicrous nature of our own Parliament, and of our “two party” system — jokes that seem beyond our current, home-grown comedy establishment, but in a way that is inclusive, easy to access, and very, very funny. He’s definitely one to watch, and I don’t mean in a surveillance-state kind of way. Click Here

August 17, 2023 Broadway World

Article about Yes-Ya-Yebo!

EDINBURGH 2023: Review: YES-YA-YEBO!, Laughing Horse @ The Counting House

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August 3, 2023  All Edinburgh Theatre

Review of CeilidhKids at the Fringe

CeilidhKids at the Fringe

★★★★★ Perfection Laughing Horse @ The Counting House (Venue 170): Thurs 3 – Sun 27 Aug 2023 Review by Torya Hughes CeilidhKids return to the Counting House with their popular family dances, aimed at providing the youngest audiences with a taster of traditional Scottish dance. Compere Caroline Brockbank has been running CeilidhKids for around 16 years, after finding a lack of accessible ceilidhs when her own children were young. The company operates in and around Edinburgh throughout the year, even branching out into seated ceilidhs for the elderly and special events for those with dementia. This emphasis on accessibility makes for a very welcoming atmosphere, with no pressure to take part and an emphasis on fun. The Counting House Ballroom is a good size for a busy group of dancers, with around 60 children and grown ups in attendance. The suggested age range is 3-7yrs, but there are some young teenagers who are happy to join in, and several babies who seem to enjoy just bouncing along to the music. Although there are some seasoned dancers in attendance, there are also first time participants from as far as China and Philadelphia. Caroline leads her audience through a series of simple rhythm games to get started, clapping and stamping at first, then patting their bottoms in time to the beat – cue much hilarity from the younger ones! After a warm up, it’s time for the only ceilidh dance using the original steps, a traditional Gay Gordons. As with all of the dances, there are modifications to allow one adult to dance with two children, or to accommodate smaller children who might get tangled up with the original moves. There are plenty of other traditional dances included, but in much simpler arrangements to allow everyone to join in. The Swedish Masquerade becomes Giants, Trees and Frogs, with some freestyle jumping at the end, while a Flying Scotsman leaves out some of the more complex moves but retains the basic shape of the dance. The whole thing ends with a variation of the Circassian Circle, thankfully without any of the progression of the original! Caroline tailors the set perfectly to her young audience, including plenty of water breaks and taking the time to walk every dance through before starting. The music is recorded, but the lack of a live band does not detract from the atmosphere. I took my 5yr old, who said that she liked jumping and spinning the best, and wants to go back again. This is the perfect way to introduce young children to ceilidh. Click Here