By the end of the first sentence, Huang has established the entire reality of the show completely. We are a (packed out) 90%+ European crowd in objective truth. In theatre truth we are a 100% white male audience at a motivational event for white male victims of woke oppression.

The event is being delivered by a slick, authoritative ‘white man’ with Anthony Robbins confidence; ice blonde mullet, vest, shorts, socks and sneakers-wearing; a man-spreading and scratching, Australian white supremacist, with a strong Chinese accent. The production material says our speaker is an “unmarried Chinese daughter [who] came out as a white man on stage in her last show.” Huang also wears aggressively applied cake makeup, depicting the trademark orange-bronzed face with white panda eyes.

I could probably leave it there. See this show. See this performer the next time you have a chance. This is next-level satire.

He Huang’s White Man’s Burden is so smart. It goes without saying the production is seamless and unnoticeable. All you can think about is how many ways you are being mocked with the most delicious, barbed and apt content and delivery. This is not simply a self-selected sample of white liberal penitents, prostrating themselves in front of a non-white comedian for ritual, simplistic, restorative flagellation. Although it does look a lot like that.

Huang has written a rock-solid script that she can modify to suit the audience’s responses. I do not refer to a set selection of heckle responses; there is no heckling tonight at the 6.30pm BATS Stage show. Nor do I refer to the gentle mocking of front row audience members. Huang’s plot – and there is a plot – calls for chosen members of the audience to play a role, directed by her. They get character names, and are provoked by Huang into providing key lines in the script.  

The planning and subtlety of this manipulation is not obvious. You become aware of it slowly, increasing your appreciation of the multi-layered creativity. We and the chosen individual characters are balancing multiple layers of reality just to go with her. It is simply brilliant, supremely confident crowd work and scripting.

The content is also nuanced. The examples draw from the grey areas of racism not the black and white concepts (pun intended). It is a deeply personal experience as a result. Huang understands she is preaching to the converted in regard to the broad politics of her work. There are no white supremacists in the audience. This is how she can succeed delivering such a complex experience. She is assuming a high level of shared knowledge about the complexities of racism in the audience, and drawing on that subtle knowledge and motivation. Huang is tickling us into thinking deeply about how to actually deal with incels, white supremacists and other hate cults.

This is brilliant, subtle and persistent in your mind. I cannot wait to see Huang’s future performances.

Copyright © in the review belongs to the reviewer