Don Rechtman

WHILE not as polished or compact as his many short TV stints, Joe Wong’s “Out of Place 2” English comedy tour performance still exceeded expectations.

At Fenghua Grand Theater in Shekou on Sunday afternoon, he poked fun at everything from U.S. and Chinese cultural disparities to language quirks.

His gags included light ethnic humor, humor about himself and his family, subtle sexual innuendos, commentary on education, hilarious occasions arising from mispronunciations of words like “wifi” and “wife,” “mattress” and “mistress,” as well as anecdotes related to his Ph.D. in biochemistry.

Toward the end of his 90-minute show, he dropped some of his bombshell comments about Biden, referencing his Biden roast 14 years ago, and threw in some more recent jokes about Trump. He presented them in such a way that it is unlikely any Biden or Trump fans would be offended, but instead get to laugh along with everyone else.

I talked with a few people after the show, and all were delighted with what he shared. Whether seeing him for the first time, live or on video, expectations were fulfilled. I chatted with a delightful couple of physics students from the Shenzhen MSU-BIT University who said they attended to practice their listening skills. While they did say they could not understand all the humor, they nonetheless had a wonderful experience.

A woman named Brandy made the interesting observation that, in addition to what Wong spoke, his acting and timing was quite powerful.

I had the opportunity to have a brief conversation with the comedian himself. We talked about Shenzhen, and the distinction between being a comedian or a humorist. A comedian tells jokes suitable for the moment, whereas the jokes of a humorist continue to impact audiences for generations. He said Mark Twain, an admired humorist, is one of his favorite authors and that he wishes to be seen as a bit of both a comedian and a humorist.

Wong sees Shenzhen as a massive community of risk takers in science, the arts, and culture. People from all over China and the world come to the city to take risks to make the world a better place, he said. If you missed his live shows, do try to catch one in the future. Meanwhile, you can find his presence on YouTube, BiliBili, and a multitude of other streaming sites.

(Don Rechtman is a U.S. composer and freelance writer residing in Shenzhen.)