International Comedy is Back in Beijing With NYC’s Dr Dee This Weekend

It’s exciting news for Beijing’s comedy scene this weekend, with the first international comedian in over two years -- New York based Dr Dee – hitting the stage. Originally from China, Dr Dee has been calling the US home for over ten years and will be performing stand-up in China for the first time. 

Dr Dee has toured throughout the US and Canada performing English stand-up and is also part of CrazyLaugh, the first ever Chinese stand-up comedy club in the Greater New York area. Ahead of her upcoming show, we got together to find out more about her comedy journey, the Chinese comedy scene in New York and how she feels about performing in China for the first time.

How long have you been doing stand-up comedy for?
Since 2019, so theoretically four years, but Covid ate away a year for just about everything.

What made you decide to start doing comedy and how did you get started?
Growing up as a kid I always loved being on stage and loved being the funny one. In school I MCed events and galas, and right before I left China for the US, I was on a bilingual TV show at Tianjin TV Station. 

I decided to get official training on stand up, and New York has rich soil for comedy. In fact, I think stand-up comedy was born there, so many legacies, stories and talents, etc. Anyway, I took a class at Comedy Cellar (I was on the waitlist for six months!) with the industry legend Rick Crom, and the rest is history. 

What was it like doing stand up for the first time?
It was both nerve-wrecking and heroic. My first ever stand-up performance was actually more than ten years ago. I spoke fresh-off-the boat English, I was clueless what’s a set up or a punchline. But I spent weeks preparing for a “set”. I scheduled coffee chats with every single native English speaker I thought had some sense of humour, and I read my jokes to them to get feedback. The pressure was so high I think I cried at least twice leading up to the big night.

Then, I went on stage at Helium Comedy Club (Philadelphia), with an audience of 300 people sitting there – they were mostly my college classmates. I thought I’d bomb, but I ended up getting loud cheers, laughs and applause breaks. Even months after the show, I would be recognized by random strangers on campus and excitedly yelling at me “You are a badass!”, “You were hilarious that night!” and that inspired me.

What have been your best and worst moments since doing comedy?
The best moment was when I travelled to remote places, like a small town in Louisiana or Ohio, and thought “my jokes couldn’t possibly land here”. But actually, the audience gets it and laughs and we have fun together. Having that connection, that bond is the most precious thing in comedy. And the worst moment…too many.

Comedy is a journey filled with great frustration, rejection, and failure, especially in a cut-throat place like New York. But that emotional rollercoaster is part of the thrill of the game. At the end of a shitty day, I usually tell myself “Why are you so bothered by what happened?! Don’t waste your time. Tomorrow might be shittier. Just deal with it.”

What comedians would you say have influenced you most?
George Carlin. 

Can you tell us a bit about the Chinese comedy club CrazyLaugh that you’re involved with in New York?
It’s been fascinating to see stand-up comedy become a form of mainstream entertainment for the young Chinese living in China and overseas. There is a large Chinese community in the New York area, so the demand is high, and the talent pool is rich. Both the comics and the shows at CrazyLaugh are growing very fast. 

I take pride in being a Chinese and supporting Chinese comedy in New York. I think it’s very important to let mainstream New York City comedy clubs see the impact of the Chinese people and Chinese comedy shows. So, in late 2022 I brought CrazyLaugh shows into Broadway Comedy Club and West Side Comedy Club.

What do you think the differences between Chinese and English stand-up are?
Audience base. The Chinese audience is a young, fashionable crowd and slightly more female-oriented, while the audience for English stand-up has a wide range of age groups and demographics. 

This is your first-time performing comedy in China, how do you feel about it?
Yes, I’ve never performed comedy in China before, again, you can blame Covid! I’m really excited about performing in China, especially Beijing for the first time. And I can’t wait to share this weekend of headliner shows with readers of the Beijinger.

Can you tell us a little bit about what we can expect your upcoming show in Beijing?
I describe my stage persona as “sweet on the surface, darkness at heart”. The audience can expect a lot of sarcasm, mixed with dark humor. Oh, and get ready to be both entertained and mildly offended. 

Hosted by Comedy Citadel, Dr Dee will be performing at Yonghe Daxia Building E (雍和大厦E座), the new official home of the Comedy Citadel, Mar 24 9.30pm; and at La Maison Lyonnaise, Mar 25 at 9pm. The Friday (Mar 24) show includes free beer. Early bird tickets (last day on sale today Mar 22) are RMB 100 or RMB 150 standard price, you can purchase tickets by scanning the QR code in the poster above.

Yonghe Daxia Building E (雍和大厦E座)
28 Andingmen Dongdajie, Dongcheng District
东城区安定门东大街28号

La Maison Lyonnaise 
44 Guanghua Lu, Chaoyang District
朝阳区光华路44号

READ: New Comedy Club The Comedy Citadel Has Big Plans for the Capital

Images: courtesy of Dr Dee, Comedy Citadel