How has it been three-and-a-half-years since Sheng Wang’s first stand-up special for Netflix? Perhaps it’s a testament to the notion that good things take time and are worth waiting for.
SHENG WANG: PURPLE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: As with his Netflix debut in 2022 (Sheng Wang: Sweet and Juicy), Sheng Wang once again turns to his longtime friend and touring partner Ali Wong to direct him for this hour, filmed at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C.
She also introduces him and welcomes him to the stage, putting her most explicit stamp of approval upon him.
This time around, Wang is waxing philosophically funny gems about going home again and seeing his childhood environment with a grown-up perspective, enjoying the big ideas behind little fruits and vegetables, and recalling his adventures as a guest on two completely different bachelor party experiences in the outdoors.
What Comedy Special Will It Remind You Of? Wang is a lighthearted storyteller who can blend the unexpected observations of the late great Mitch Hedberg with a cadence he sometimes shares with Wong. It results in a style all his own.
Memorable Jokes: Revisiting your childhood home can lead you in many comedic directions. Wang chooses neither simple nostalgia nor jokes at the expense of his own family. Rather, he realizes in retrospect how sad the room lighting was, and how that must’ve impacted his youth. His memories take him back to how as Asian-Americans, his family stood out more for their no-shoe-policy inside the home. It’s literally surface-level and yet so much deeper, as he shares with us his yearning for visiting neighborhood friends just to know what it might feel like to walk inside with shoes on.
There’s an even better bit later on in which Wang plays with the concept of a memory foam bed in a way that sounds like an old ghost story.
He shares tales of not one but two different bachelor parties. The first, in a tropical setting, forces him to confront the unexpected reveal of “butt crack” from his friends. The second party is a bit more of an adventure, both literally and psychologically, as Wang recalls finding himself alone with the would-be groom, backpacking in the woods and along bluffs. He lets us know now how much he appreciates the small comforts of homes or hotels, as well as the lack of danger from bears.
He’s also got a lighthearted story to share about the time he got called for jury duty, and how he and his peers mostly failed to understand the assignment. Or did they? They did remember to get a free lunch out of the civic duty.
Our Take: Wang’s opening bit gives you a real feel for his sense of humor and the journey on which you’re about to join him for the next hour. “I’ve been trying to eat more berries,” he says, apropos of nothing. “I’m real passionate about those antioxidants. It is weird. I don’t even know what oxidants are. I just know that I’m against them.” I’ve compared Wang to Hedberg before, but that observation alone is perhaps where Hedberg would’ve stopped to move on to his next disparate thought. Wang, on the other hand, keeps going, explaining how children view berries differently from adults. Which, in turn, segues into stories about how children can abruptly change your plans or embarrass their parents in front of you.
He eventually refers to the title’s special during an observation about how he’s buying toothbrushes in bulk now, giving him the chance to pick out brushes according to his mood. “I only pick the purple one when I want to change the narrative,”he declares.
So what’s different about him now? Ali Wong, who both directed and introduced Wang to the stage from the stage, had for years brought him along as her opening act. And there are times in Wang’s cadence when you can hear echoes of hers (particularly when she slows down to emphasize words in a set-up); considering how long they’ve performed together, though, they’d be bound to rub off on each other. But now Wang can headline theaters himself. At first he pokes fun at his past gigs, noting “It’s not always like this” before recalling a gig at a sex store that winds its way into a joke about Wang getting hung up on the nutritional value of an edible bra.
Toward the end of this special, Wang shares his gratitude for how far he has come in 23 years of performing stand-up. He confesses he always wanted “to find my people,” adding, “but I never really considered what that meant.” So far, he’s quite pleased with the fans he has been attracting.
Our Call: STREAM IT. If it were up to me and Ali Wong, Sheng Wang would enjoy an even larger audience. If you won’t take it from me, then at least take Ali’s words for it!
Sean L. McCarthy works the comedy beat. He also podcasts half-hour episodes with comedians revealing origin stories: The Comic’s Comic Presents Last Things First.
