Margaret Cho Is Bringing Her Fresh Off The Bloat Tour to The Ridgefield Playhouse

One of the 50 Best Stand Up Comics according to Rolling Stone magazine, Margaret Cho brings her gusty and uproarious humor to The Ridgefield Playhouse on Friday, November 15 at 8pm with her Fresh Off The Bloat Tour, part of Barts Tree Service Comedy Series. Cho could be called the Queen of all Media, having conquered the worlds of film, television, books, music and theater. She has five Grammy Award nominations (two for music albums, "Cho Dependent" and "American Myth") and one Emmy nod for her groundbreaking work on "30 Rock." Media sponsor is WFUV.

Rolling Stone magazine described Cho as "the sort of funny, sex-positive feminist and LGBT activist younger comics continue to look up to." Equally as important as her creative side are the causes she is passionate about, including her charitable work with gay rights and anti-bullying campaigns. In every segment of her life, Cho is honest, forthright, passionate, uproarious and always entertaining. With her new web series, Mercy Mistress, premiering on YouTube in January, Cho hopes to dispel stereotypes of Asian women's sexuality

Born and raised in San Francisco. "It was different than any other place on Earth," Cho says. "I grew up and went to grammar school on Haight Street during the '70s. There were old hippies, ex-druggies, burnouts, drag queens, and Chinese people. To say it was a melting pot - that's the least of it. It was a really confusing, enlightening, wonderful time."

Ignoring the traditions of her patriarchal culture, her mother bravely resisted an arranged marriage in Korea and married Margaret's father, a Korean joke book writer. "Books like 1001 Jokes for Public Speakers - real corny stuff," Cho says. "I guess we're in the same line of work. But we don't understand each other that way. I don't understand why the things he says are funny and the same for him."

What Cho did know is that being a kid was hard. Racing toward adulthood as fast as she could to escape the constant bullying she endured, she began writing jokes at 14 and professionally performing at age 16. Getting picked on, and not having a feeling of belonging, is a subject that's not only near to Cho's heart, but something she still feels very deeply despite all of her successes. In that sense, she has gladly and graciously become the "Patron Saint for Outsiders," speaking for those who are not able to speak for themselves, and encouraging people who can, to use their voice to promote change.

As an actress, Cho has appeared in such roles as Charlene Lee in It's My Party, a film that addressed the topic of dying with dignity amidst the AIDS crisis, and as John Travolta's FBI colleague in the action movie Face/Off. Cho was part of the cast of the TV series "Drop Dead Diva" on Lifetime. In 2012 she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her guest starring and hilarious role as Dictator Kim Jong-il on "30 Rock."

For tickets ($47 - $57) call or visit the box office, 203-438-5795 or go online at ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a non-profit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street, Ridgefield, CT.

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