Wong Tze Wah

Wong Tze Wah did a show in Calgary this Tuesday. As in his words, it was a marvelous performance.

There were many wannabe stand-up comedy acts in Hong Kong since Wong Tze Wah's fame: from the household names like Michael Hui to the cash-thirsty Liu Wai Hung.

Even Jun Lam put up an act last year. I really like Jun as a singer, but the show he did was just too dry. Maybe I was not in HK, and I did not have the background on all his advertisements and announcements, I really did see how funny it was. I didn't marry a popular singer and didn't have 2 girls at home, I didn't care much about his family lives. I was probably too self-centered: the things are not remotely interesting to me. Well, just not my cup of tea, I said. Ironically, in my mind, Jun Lam is a better singer than comedian.

Wong Tze Wah does not always put up a good show. The first 2 major performances were good, and then it went down hill. At around 96/ 97, he did a big come back. He became so experienced on the stage to make us feel as comfy and confidence as he was.

Wong is a hardworking artist. He's good at the lingual but he was always very well prepared. (Those materials just couldn't be make up on-the-fly) He might have read books, did research, and wrote his script with a flow. It's like a plot, a road movie. It brought us to different places and at the end it landed somewhere concrete. The previous shows always had positive themes, and they are quite philosophical.

O yes, he likes to swear, or pretend to swear on stage. It did not turn me off. Even popular, his shows are still for the intellectuals, may be middle class. Unlike the others, Wong was the only one who could send a positive message in a skeptical, comical way and without putting most of the audience to sleep.

Wong is still the best stand-up act in Hong Kong. There is no competition.