EDINBURGH 2023: Review: KUAN-WEN HUANG: ILHA FORMOSA, Gilded Balloon

Ilha Formosa is the debut hour from comedian Kuan-wen Huang. Originally from Taiwan, he aims to teach us the history of his country and stress that is it really not part of China.

Ilha Formosa means ‘beautiful island’ and that is what the Portuguese people who discovered it called Taiwan in the 16th century.

There’s a lot of play on racial stereotypes and he tries to guess where other Asian audience members are from and then discusses stereotypes of other European audience members which is all taken in good nature.

Now living in London, Huang explains how he loves his country and his family- but from a distance. His mother is the typical tiger mum, someone that will accept only the best from her child. It’s all very playful but there’s a sense that the jokes about her overbearing nature are definitely rooted in truth.

It’s surprisingly educational and although its not huge laughs throughout, it is consistently amusing.

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