Review by Steve Bennett

Ronny Chieng has nothing but contempt for you, what you stand for or your stupid Western ways.

In a world full of comics eager to be liked, his blunt, dismissive attitude is a breath of fresh air. He’s witheringly condescending as he boasts about his comedy skills, about his academic success, his physical prowess, about his parents loving him more than anyone else’s.

It’s a bold stance, and gives no indication that this Malay-born Chinese comic is but a newcomer, making his festival debut with all the aloof swagger of a grizzled vet.

As you might expect, race forms a substantial part of his act, as he makes it his mission to make being Chinese cool. Although the 26-year-old occasionally slips into formula, his arrogance, begotten from belonging to the planet’s majority race, frequently tips clichés on their heads. But at other times – such as on the strict discipline meted out by Asian parents – he reinforces it with bluntly funny examples. After all, that’s his personal experience.

Not that ethnicity is the only taut string to his bow, as he takes on sexism, dining out, air travel and a whole host of other, more mainstream, things beside. The one thing that’s constant is that attitude of unwavering self-belief, so that even in a story about him busting up his face after tumbling off his bicycle, it’s the stupid hill that’s at fault, not his incompetence.

Some of the routines are a little more mundane, and the relentless approach could do with a little more light and shade to add variety over a full hour – but nonetheless Chieng is a making bold, decisive move on the comedy scene, with this impressive offering.

Review date: 12 Apr 2012
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett
Reviewed at: Melbourne International Comedy Festival