Coming into the Regal Theatre on Saturday night to see a performance by Jenny Tian, I had a fair idea of what to expect. Having seen her Tiktok and Youtube videos, I knew she would be exuberantly direct and edgy.
Which is perfect because that’s what you want a stand-up act to be: engaging, energetic, and of course, funny.
Straight out of the gate, it is clear that Jenny Tian’s comedic performance transfers from on-screen to on-stage extremely well. The audience were not disappointed!
Audience participation was sought and received with raucous and hilarious outcomes, Jenny not only rolling with the leftfield engagements, but seemingly very comfortable in the live environment.
The show brought everyone along on a narrative of sorts; seemingly disparate tales of travel and adventure (with more than a little misadventure thrown in), perspectives on her Chinese-Australian heritage, cultural relations, and matters of the heart and other body parts were expertly woven together to form her story.
Without wanting to spoil the routine for future audiences, know that some parts of the show had the whole audience laughing, while some of Jenny Tian’s related experiences and observations set off subsections of the crowd into absolute fits. I myself laughed heartily throughout the evening, more than once almost choking with the shock and amusement of what I had just heard, with even a tear or two. Yes, I cried laughing.
And that, after all, is more than you could hope for from a night out at a Perth Comedy Festival event!
Jenny’s run has ended but check out the full listings of comics and performances here.