Margaret Cho to perform comedy show on campus

Margaret Cho, a comedienne famous for creating her own unique style of controversial and feminist humor, will be appearing on campus April 22.

The show, which will open with comedian Bruce Daniels, is sponsored by the Class of 2005.

The class officers wanted to take "a different approach to USG," president Azalea Kim '05 said. "We wanted to organize more diverse events with wider appeal.

Members of the Class of 2005 will be able to purchase their tickets during a special pre-sale from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today.

Tickets will then be available to the rest of the undergraduate student body on Thursday at 9 a.m., and then to others with a PUID on Monday at 12:00 p.m.

Several campus organizations — including the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM), LGBT, Pride Alliance, Asian American Student Association, Korean American Student Association, Alcohol Initiative, Women's Center and Princeton Standup — are providing funding and publicity for the show.

Kim first proposed bringing Cho to the University soon after assuming office last fall.

"This idea was supported by a lot of people," Kim said.

"I was first surprised to get a quick response from Margaret Cho's agent, but I was even more surprised by the response from so many student organizations."

At a meeting with several cosponsors on Monday, Kim said she hopes the event will "reach as many undergraduates as possible."

Erika Kaneko '07, co-chair of APAHM, approved of Kim's proposal from the start.

"Even though [Cho] is funny, she's still a very smart lady," Kaneko said. "She isn't afraid to be herself and she has her own voice. She addresses women's issues and what it's like to grow up as an Asian American."

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Not everybody is as enthusiastic as Kaneko, though.

Hart Claypool '05 said he was not familiar with Cho's work.

"Considering that I haven't heard of [Cho] before, I probably won't go," he said.

Josh Lee '05 had seen episodes of Cho's short-lived television sitcom "All-American Girl" in the 1990s, but will probably pass up the opportunity to see her live.

"It just doesn't appeal to me," Lee said.

"You have to have different types of shows, though, and variety is good," he added.

The Class of 2005 officers initially contacted Cho's agent in November and worked closely with Thomas Dunne, dean of undergraduate students, to arrange the event.

According to Kim, who had no previous experience organizing an event of this scale, they "spent many afternoons figuring out details like the number of chairs to set up in Dillon and how to operate the sound system."

A total of 2,500 seats will be available at the event, which will take place at 10:30 p.m. in Dillon Gym.

Tickets can be purchased at the Frist Ticket Office for $15 for undergraduates and $17 for graduate students, faculty and staff.

A limit of two tickets per PUID and four PUIDs per person will be enforced.

Other comedians are coming to campus this year. Jon Stewart, of "The Daily Show" fame, will be this year's Class Day speaker on May 31. Last year, Jerry Seinfeld headlined the event.