Comedian to wrap up tour at Penn show

She isn't Jerry Seinfeld, but she did jump-start her career when she opened for him in the early '90s.

She is popular comedian Margaret Cho and will be concluding her "Notorious C.H.O." tour at Penn's Irvine Auditorium on Feb. 23 at 8:30 p.m.

It was originally reported in January that Cho might be coming to Penn, but the Social Planning and Events Committee, which is responsible for bringing Cho to campus, would not confirm it at the time.

"A marketing company came to us and said that [Cho] was available in the spring and wanting to do acts on the East Coast, and they were wondering if we were interested in having her come to the college," SPEC Vice President Christina Chiew, a College senior said. "The whole delay occurred because the marketing company pulled out for financial reasons."

However, Chiew said that SPEC was still interested in pursuing Cho and decided to combine their efforts with Asian Pacific American Heritage Week, sponsored by the Asian Pacific Student Coalition, which kicks off on Feb. 22.

"We talked to APAHW and asked them if they would be interested in having her come for that week, and they said that would be a great idea," Chiew said. "She is a well-known Asian American woman who is outspoken, and they would love to have her as a part of their event."

APAHW Vice Chairwoman Julia Lee, an Engineering junior, said she is very excited to see Cho's stand-up routine.

"She is an outspoken Asian-American woman with a pretty dramatic rise to fame," Lee said. "APAHW's purpose is to celebrate cultural and heritage achievements in history, and her being Korean American is an expression of that."

Cho, a self-described "Korean-American fag-hag, shit-starter, girl comic, trash talker," is definitely outspoken.

Beginning her stand-up career at the age of 16 in a San Francisco comedy club, Cho quickly accumulated a long list of accolades.

After opening for Seinfeld as a result of winning the first place prize in a comedy contest, Cho received the American Comedy Award for Best Female Comedian in 1994.

After starring in the controversial but short-lived ABC sitcom All-American Girl, Cho met more success in a different acting venue -- the stage.

Cho's 1999 off-Broadway show, I'm the One That I Want, won her New York Magazine's Performance of the Year award and a MAC award. Entertainment Weekly also named the show one of its greatest performances of the year.

Despite Cho's laundry list of accomplishments, the Penn student body received her with mixed opinions. While many students were excited, some did not even recognize Cho's name.

And Engineering senior Mark Lundquist, who had heard of Cho, expressed disappointment.

"I'm not too thrilled about it," he said. "There are other people who I think are funnier."

However, Chiew said that she is a huge Cho fan.

"Personally, I love Cho... I've watched all of her shows on Comedy Central, and I think she is awesome," Chiew said. "I'm Asian, and I completely understand everything she says because it applies to me."

And Lee said she believes that Cho's humor transcends ethnic boundaries.

"I think in the realm of comedy, people tend to enjoy it regardless of race and ethnicity," Lee said. "I think she will appeal to both Asian Pacific Americans and non-Asian Pacific Americans."

For those to whom Cho does appeal, tickets are $5 for Penn students and will be available on Locust Walk on Feb. 19 and 20.

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