Best of Cho

In 1999, stand-up comedian Margaret Cho videotaped one of her live shows, making it into a movie that played in art houses and gay and lesbian film festivals across the country. I’m the One That I Want is a moving narrative about Cho’s trials in Hollywood, where she was told to lose weight to play herself on television, and where producers brought in Asian consultants to teach her how to act more Korean. The film also delivers blunt, irreverant commentary on sex, drugs, race and family that sends audiences into hysterics. One audience at last summer’s Gay and Lesbian Film Festival at the Tivoli gave Cho rounds of applause, even though she wasn’t there.

The enthusiasm ought to be even greater when she comes to the Midland Theatre this Friday for a stop on her Notorious C.H.O. tour. But even if Kansas City doesn’t like her show, she won’t back off the stage. She recalls one disastrous night when “the people were all booing me, but I wouldn’t leave. I was on so long they organized themselves. I can take anything, which infuriates some audiences.”

While I’m the One That I Want was about dependency on drugs, alcohol and approval, Cho says Nototious C.H.O. is about addictions to food and sex. Still, she’s likely to pick up some of the previous show’s themes. One of its most-quoted lines involves a new kind of pride celebration. Cho’s first stand-up routine was on a lesbian cruise ship, where she had her first lesbian encounter. Afterward, she was troubled. “I was so obsessed; it was like, ‘Am I straight? Am I gay?’ And then I realized, I’m just slutty.” She pauses before asking, “Where’s my fucking parade?”

The wheels are not yet in motion for a slut pride parade, but a number of Cho fans have expressed interest. While Cho isn’t planning on headlining that parade herself, she’ll gladly support anyone who carries out her vision.