Wang's World Comedy at Rodney's
I'm co-producing my first New York stand-up comedy show!
I don’t have the fallopian fortitude to claim that I moved to New York City purely to pursue comedy. If anything, I believe that the 7 years I spent doing comedy purely as a hobby, on my own terms, all while working corporate jobs, meant that I’ve never developed any cynicism or bitterness about comedy. And I’m grateful for that.
When I did my first open mic in Shanghai in 2017, the city had 2 thriving comedy clubs, with dedicated venues and steady crowds. International headliners would come through and aspiring comics would be able to open for them, which is huge for a comic’s resume, and the rest of us got to witness comedic masters at work.
Within a year, the clubs were shut down. You can read my article with The China Media Project from August of 2023 to learn a bit more about the history and recent crackdowns. Or read this new article from Sixth Tone about the rise of women in Chinese stand-up.
But the Shanghai comedians didn’t stop. Once you’ve been bitten by the bug, there’s really no going back… Until you burn out or grow up. To do a ticketed, paid event in Shanghai required permits, along with performers who were on performer’s visa’s, a rule that Chinese immigration had started to enforce around 2019. So we did free private events, branding them as “Comedy Corner,” like “English Corner” meant for English as a Second Language learners to practice conversational English. We kept things low-key, promoted in private group chats, and kept going.
When Shanghai went into COVID lockdown in early 2020, we did the first Zoom, I mean Zhumu (the Chinese, uh, “equivalent”) comedy shows. We did them again when the city went under doorframe lockdown in 2022. Sixth Tone created a beautiful, interactive visual report on what that was like. I do not have the words to explain how much those awkward shows (and my cats) kept me sane.
The fact that the comedy scene was run like a non-profit kept the scene simple. Only people who really wanted to do it were doing it. There was no money to be made. If you’re there purely for your ego, or to harass female comics, you were bored (or boo-ed) out of it pretty quickly.
But now I am living in the world capital of stand-up comedy, and I’m just soaking it up. Open mic’s every day! Shows all over the city! Dozens of comedy clubs and countless independent shows! And I’m adding one more!
Wang’s World Comedy' will debut at Rodney’s Comedy Club, a new rendition of Dangerfield’s in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, on Saturday October 26th. It is a gorgeous Art Deco space with luxe seating and a curated drinks menu. I’m producing it in partnership with Jason Steinberg, seasoned comedy expert and founder at Steinberg Talent Management.
You can follow the show at Wang’s World Comedy on Instagram. Get your tickets at Rodney’s Comedy Club.