Mandarin crosstalk style comes to Hammersmith venue

It’s the home of the BBC’s Live At The Apollo and a stop-off on many a tour, meaning almost every comedy star in Britain has graced its stage.

And now the Eventim Apollo is to host a traditional form of Chinese comedy for the first time.

Guo Degang is hoping to sell out the 3,600-capacity theatre with his crosstalk comedy, known as xiangsheng.

The style involves quickfire banter – akin to Abbott and Costello’s Who’s On First? routine – and Guo is credited with helping revive the genre in China.

He is a huge star there, owning several comedy clubs and appearing in blockbuster movies. He has 68 million followers on social media site Weibo.

His November 25 gig at the Apollo, along with his De Yun She Performance Group, will be performed in Mandarin.

It is the first time a Chinese crosstalk group will have performed at the venue.

Joanna Dong of promoters Icon Culture said: ‘It highlights the vitality of the traditional Chinese performing arts.’

Guo has previously performed in the US, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Japan and Singapore as well as in his homeland, and in  March, he was named the cultural ambassador in China for the National Museum of Australia.

Published: 9 Jul 2018