Twenty-something Charlyn Yi takes to the stage and immediately wins over the audience with her wide eyed innocence and infectious smile as she awkwardly begins her odd, yet endearing hour of stand-up.
Combining guitar-based musical numbers, video projections, audience interaction and almost achingly sweet observations about falling in love, this is a show that doesn’t even attempt belly laughs – instead giving a playfully fun performance that allows Yi’s unique sense of humour to shine and which will have the audience chuckling along at her random stand up.
This may not be to everyone’s taste – she serenades an audience member with a song that uses grunting instead of words, and playfully mortifies an unsuspecting audience member by encouraging him to sing a song with her – but those willing to go along with Yi’s awkward style of stand up will find themselves utterly captivated.
Many people took Yi to their hearts on the strength of her beautiful film, Paper hearts, which amalgamated a documentary about being in love with a mockumentary were Yi actually falls in love while filming the piece. It danced around the notion of what is real and what isn’t and Yi continues this theme in her show. As she admits, she loves to confuse the audience, deliberating telling long stories about her life with her husband then later admitting she isn’t even married. It’s an interesting notion that makes you question where the performance ends and the comedian begins.
This is a thought-provoking, enjoyably silly and refreshingly un-cynical hour of stand up and while we may not know how much of what we’ve heard is true, you can’t help but believe her every word.
4/5 
Martin Miller
(4 votes, average: 4.75 out of 5)
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