QSaltLake - Feature Story: Cho Down at Mo's

CHO Down at Mo’s

Margaret Cho is back on the concert stage this spring, slaying audiences nationwide with her brand new one-woman show Assassin. Assassin features fresh doses of Cho’s always groundbreaking, controversial and hilarious brand of humor.
Says Margaret, “It’s a raw interpretation of what’s happening daily in our ever-evolving or devolving state of the union.”
Indeed, the show itself will change as events of the day unfold but it will include some of the crowd pleasing routines from her critically acclaimed, Fall 2004, State of Emergency Tour, that kicked off at The Apollo Theatre (The New York Times called it “Murderously Funny!”) then visited swing states prior to the election.
Cho is as political as ever on her tour, wearing a beret and posing like Patty Hearst after she was kidnapped and became a terrorist known as Tanya.
“I love Patty Hearst; she’s so hot,” Cho told the Zap2it.com, although she hasn’t met the heiress who’s now a mom and appears in John Waters films. “That’s when terrorism was cute. It’s a nostalgia thing.”
Cho will be making a stop in Salt Lake on April 22, appearing at MoDiggity’s Sports and Music Club for Women (a private club for members). Cho has been long beloved by the queer community. Having grown up in San Francisco, she remains an outspoken advocate of queer equality—although she doesn’t hesitate to poke fun at the community either. Still, it’s done in good spirits, unlike her frequent outbursts about the Bush presidency.
“Face it, people can’t find comfort with government and the administration,” said Cho. “I think a show like mine is important to give people a sense of levity about everything. To offer hope, maybe, and some kind of connection.”
In addition, Bam Bam & Celeste, a movie written by Cho is currently in production. Principal photography has wrapped and a late 2005 release is expected.
Bam Bam and Celeste is the first fiction screenplay written by Margaret Cho and stars Cho and Bruce Daniels (Margaret’s friend and opening act for whom she wrote the part of Bam Bam), and is directed by Lorene Machado, Margaret’s longtime creative collaborator on her concert films. Additional cast includes Alan Cumming, John Cho, Kathy Najimy, Jane Lynch, and Danny Hoch.
In Bam Bam and Celeste, Celeste (Cho) and Bam Bam (Daniels) escape their Midwest hometown on an epic road trip to New York City. There they take on their high-school nemeses—now the dictators of the world-famous Salon Mirage—and discover that true beauty lies within. Along with Celeste, Margaret also plays Mommy, the impersonation of her own mother cherished by Margaret’s fans.
“The movie is a bit autobiographical, like everything I do,” Cho said. “It’s about my wild days in the ’80s and my best buddy.”
In 1999, Margaret’s groundbreaking smash-hit one-woman show I’m The One That I Want played off Broadway, toured the country, and became a best selling book and a feature film that grossed more per print than any film in history ($1.4 million with only nine prints). 2001 marked the launch of a 37 city tour for Cho’s second show, Notorious C.H.O. Notorious C.H.O. culminated with a concert at Carnegie Hall which was taped for a double-sided CD release in 2002 and a second feature film. In 2003, Margaret’s Revolution tour grossed over 4 million in ticket sales, played in over 60 cities. The CD version was nominated for a Grammy and the DVD sold 100,000 units within 2 months of release.

Margaret Cho
7 and 10pm, April 22
MoDiggity’s
3424 S State Street.
$30 in advance, $40 at the door.
832-9000 or
modiggitys.com.

Feature

CHO Down at Mo’s

Margaret Cho 7 and 10pm, April 22 MoDiggity’s 3424 S State Street. $30 in advance, $40 at the door. 832-9000 or modiggitys.com.

Margaret Cho
7 and 10pm, April 22
MoDiggity’s
3424 S State Street.
$30 in advance, $40 at the door.
832-9000 or
modiggitys.com.