Margaret Cho: I won't censor myself for Singapore show
Comedian Margaret Cho says she won't shy away from controversy for her March gig
An iconic M is coming to town for the first time in late February - hello Madonna! - but barely a week after that, another M will be performing in Singapore for the first time too.
Grammy and Emmy-nominated comedian Margaret Cho, 47, will perform on March 5 at Kallang Theatre as part of her The psyCHO Tour.
Cho was the first Asian American to headline a TV show with the controversial and short-lived sitcom All-American Girl in 1994.
The former Drop Dead Diva star will next be seen in Highland, a show developed by online retail giant Amazon, as a woman moving in with her pot dispensary-running family after a court-ordered rehab stint.
Cho said she is excited about the series and thrilled about being here.
She told The New Paper: "I don't know why it didn't happen before."
She said psyCHO is about insanity and the anger she feels about everything happening in the world right now.
"It's great when you can take something that's very tragic and turn it around. That's what I am doing!"
Cho's shows are famous for being fearless and outrageous but unlike Madonna's show, she promises nothing will edited.
In fact, Cho said: "My goal is, like Adam Lambert, to get some kind of petition against me performing because my show is going to be so much more gay.
"This will be the most raunchy, the most political gay show that ever happened. Hopefully there will be some petition, some outrage, some protest.
"To be arrested during the show - that's the key!"
Cho added there is no way she can tone down her show.
"It's not anti-religion. It's more pointing out the hypocrisy of religion and the incredible homophobia and sexism of religion, and I'm critical of religion but it won't be blatant.
"It'll be hard to censor."
One topic she will address during her show is her rape.
In a Billboard magazine interview last year, Cho opened up about being sexually molested by a family friend from age five to 12.
At 14, she was raped by another acquaintance. She did not name the men, but said that talking about the traumatic experiences is healthy.
"When you want to heal yourself with the anger that you feel, that's really positive.
"Being psycho is a good thing."
Cho also did not mince her words when it came to actor Bill Cosby. Cosby, 78, was recently charged with sexual assault.
Even though Cosby has not been found guilty, Cho said: "It's devastating to all the people who grew up with him and love him outside of this. It's a terrible betrayal, especially for what he meant to family structure," Cho said.
RESEARCH
Cho tailors her show to where she is performing and has started her research on Singapore.
And one of her finds?
Alluding to the City Harvest Church saga, she joked: "I want to get that mega church to produce my next song, wouldn't that be great?"
But Cho is not all about politics and sex.
"(In Singapore) I really want to try the different spicy crabs. I'm a big foodie and a chef, and this is a good opportunity to learn and eat."
Margaret Cho performs on March 5 at Kallang Theatre. Tickets are from $88, available from Sistic (6348-5555 or www.sistic.com.sg).
I want to get that mega church to produce my next song, wouldn't that be great?
- Asian American comedian Margaret Cho, joking about the recently concluded City Harvest Church saga
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