Cho Yes!

Over the course of Margaret Cho’s ever-evolving career, the world has watched her blossom from an insecure, self-described “zaftig” comedian into an empowering yet still-hilarious feminist icon. We can thank the ABC network for some of that. After execs shoehorned Cho into an ill-fitting, broadly drawn sitcom in 1994 — anyone remember All American Girl? — Cho went off the deep end trying to please the network, her new fans, anyone but herself. Lose weight. Be less Asian. Be more Asian. Be funnier! By the time the show was canceled a year later, Cho had undergone a lifetime’s worth of mindfuckery. And she has emerged so much stronger for the pain.

Tattoos, belly dancing, dalliances with drugs, kicking the habit, and confronting her sexuality — all before the eager eyes of her fans — have transformed Cho into a hilarious force to be reckoned with. She attracts sell-out crowds wherever she performs, and now her new, one-woman show, Beautiful, will give us all a glimpse of what she’s learned along the way. Cho is bringing Internet sensation Liam Sullivan with her. Anyone who is familiar with his cross-dressing alter ego “Kelly” and her YouTube hit song “Shoes” knows the kind of ribald, delightfully superficial, fashion-obsessed humor you can expect tonight at 8 at The Fillmore.
Sat., April 12, 8 p.m., 2008