Little Lark of London

“I love my mom, I love my country, but I feel I can only love them from a distance.”

Kuan-wen Huang: Ilha Formosa begins with an introductory video to Taiwan, illustrating how propaganda works to try to convince people that Taiwan is Chinese. When he enters the stage, Huang throws a balloon into the audience, making a joke about how it’s not a Chinese spy. Huang even asks if there are any Chinese audience members and is greeted by silence, which gives him a good laugh as he welcomes those who remained silent anyway.

Huang is a self-proclaimed “Equal Opportunity Bitch,” leaving no stone unturned as he insults as many different places as possible. When joking about the rivalry between Taiwan and Malaysia, he focuses on two two Malaysia Airlines planes that disappeared, claiming, “Anything can happen, just like with Malaysia Airlines.” But, he also makes fun of Taiwan itself, including a joke about how the souvenirs his grandmother brought him from her travels around the world were all made in Taiwan. But, Ilha Formosa is not just about roasting countries. It’s a story of Huang growing up and his relationship with his mother, and why he left Taiwan for the UK. 

For context, Huang gives us some history lessons on Taiwan, also known by the Portuguese name Ilha Formosa, which translates to “The Beautiful Island.” But, as Huang hilariously reveals, Portugal did not even bother colonising Taiwan, instead moving on. Frustrated, he says, “I’m not beginning for colonisation per se . . . But can we agree that what Portugal did was hurtful?”

Huang tells us about his “Chinese Tiger Mom,” who he actually considers to be more like a dementor from Harry Potter, sucking out any happiness that he may have. There is a funny story he tells about his mother listening in on his phone calls when he was younger, telling him when he attempted to argue back, “I’m your mother. I own you.” While he loves his mother, Huang faces some challenges with her, including the fact that she ignores his sexuality, insisting that he find himself a wife. He tells us, “My mom to my mental health is what Liz Truss was to the British economy,” leading to quite a few laughs from the audience, along with a few sympathetic noises.

Along with the history lessons and exploration of his family tree, Huang also has a dark sense of humour with some filthy jokes, including a long story about going to a gay orgy party in Berlin and comparing different people having sex to the colonisation of Taiwan. It’s a hilarious bit and these moments make for some nice breaks between the sadder aspects of the show. There is also another great bit in which Huang talks about times when lesbians have thought he was a lesbian, describing him as “a lesbian academic” and even “an Asian Sue Perkins.” There are also quite a few jokes about Grindr and a lack of tops in the UK. 

Like most Edinburgh Fringe shows, Kuan-wen Huang: Ilha Formosa has its dark moments, which Huang does a great job of tying into the more humorous moments throughout the show. When talking about his childhood, Huang mourns the loss of his ability to speak Taiwanese, saying, “I lost the fluency of my own mother tongue” as a result of China having schools teach Chinese, not Taiwanese. Huang also brings up his job in accounting, which he hates, even though he’s good at it. 

Ultimately, Kuan-wen Huang: Ilha Formosa is a funny and fascinating look at Taiwan through the eyes of a comedian who feels he can only share his love from a distance, unable to feel truly comfortable in Taiwan itself. Huang’s sense of humour is dirty and witty, making for a great hour of comedy that still manages to tug at the heartstrings in all the right places. 

Kuan-wen Huang: Ilha Formosa ran on 16 February 2024 at Soho Theatre.