Ronny Chieng: The Ron Way

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Ronny Chieng knows a great deal about perspective. He tells us that no two of us will come out having experienced exactly the same show, pointing specifically to an elderly Malaysian woman and a family from Fife in the front row. And we believe him. As an ethnically Chinese, Malaysian-raised, American-educated resident of Australia, Chieng knows a thing or two about isolation, translation and family.

Indeed, the comedy of ethnicity seems to be Chieng’s strong suit. Bits about attempting to flyer the only Chinese cast member of Avenue Q and mistaken identity at an airport land particularly well with his relatively diverse audience (the latter is drink-spittingly funny). But for someone with a unique perspective on society, both eastern and western, Chieng's humour seems more or less anchored in the socially universal. Material about troubleshooting technology over the phone with his mother gets laughs, but we can’t shake the feeling that we're being pandered to, if only very slightly. Those moments when Chieng's less neatly packaged quirks shine through are great, but seemingly accidental: a tangent about online filesharing and a riff on how we're reacting to the brief instances of racial slurs let Chieng's character shine through.

If we had the chance to see Chieng's stranger, perhaps darker side, he'd certainly be among the stronger Fringe standup drawers.