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Speakeasy

Ronny Chieng

Netflix · 2022 · 60 min

A combative, stylish stand-up set filmed in a Chinatown restaurant.

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Ronny Chieng walks onto a small stage in a dim Chinatown restaurant with a very clear, loudly declared agenda: to talk shit, make money, and bounce. Filmed at Chinese Tuxedo in New York City, this 2022 Netflix special catches the Daily Show correspondent at a career high point, fresh off major film roles like Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Reunited with director Sebastian DiNatale, Chieng brings his signature exasperated energy to bear on a post-truth world, targeting everything from irrational skeptics to the mechanics of birth control pills, specifically how stomach bugs can lead to what he calls diarrhea babies. He spends a significant chunk of time baiting the crowd to cancel him, taking prolonged swings at British people, and trying to cure racism by asking the audience to decide which race is the absolute worst. While some viewers found the structure a bit too rambling and disjointed compared to his acclaimed 2019 debut, others appreciated the gorgeous, low-lit cinematography and Chieng’s unapologetic, combative presence. His ability to construct elaborate, tense setups, especially when he is actively antagonizing his own audience, remains highly effective.

The set list

5 bits

  1. COVID-19 skepticism and podcast researchers

    Mocks people claiming to 'do their own research' as D-average students who peaked in high school, arguing society should just let the nerds lead.

  2. Audience prompt to name the worst race

    Conducts an early crowd-work bit daring the audience on the count of three to shout out which race they believe is the worst.

  3. Begging America to cancel him

    Challenges the audience to cancel him, pointing out that cancellation would simply send him back to Malaysia as a wealthy national hero with universal healthcare, though he stays in the US because it lets him make money telling dick jokes.

  4. Pro-Brexit stance and touring in the United Kingdom

    Adopted a mock pro-Brexit stance before airing personal grievances about working UK comedy festivals and receiving star ratings.

  5. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Rant against comedy critics and online reviewers closer

    Delivers a sprawling diatribe questioning why anyone unironically reviews stand-up comedy and criticizing the amateur nature of Internet review culture.

How it plays

Tone
Frustrated, biting, irreverent, and witty.
On stage
Exasperated, stylishly dressed in a tuxedo jacket, commanding, kinetic, and defiant against critics and societal absurdity.
Pace
Accelerating and chaotic tempo characterized by rhythmic repetition of phrases building to a crescending rant, punctuated by tense pauses.
About
COVID-19 skepticism and pandemic research, Cancel culture and international perspectives, Racism and race relations, Distaste for comedy festivals and critics in the United Kingdom, Critiques of comedy reviewing and internet culture

What the critics said

Critics admired the stylish visual aesthetic, Chinatown venue, and Chieng's energetic stage presence, but several reviewers found the material uneven, repetitive, and overly fixated on a muddled rant about comedy critics in the second half.

In the room: Intimate and cabaret-style speakeasy atmosphere, occasionally marked by unease and tension during confrontational routines.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: imdb.com, standupd.com, vulture.com, decider.com, scmp.com.

Backstory

Filmed in an intimate Cantonese speakeasy in Chinatown, reflecting on his international upbringing across Malaysia, Singapore, and Australia, while addressing pandemic culture, COVID skepticism, and cancel culture in America.

Details

Released
Taped
Chinese Tuxedo, New York City
Runtime
60 min
Where
Netflix
Director
Sebastian DiNatale
Honors
1 win total
Topics
Before
Asian Comedian Destroys America! (2019)
After
Love To Hate It (2024)

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