Comedy Review: 'White Man's Burden' by He Huang
A short comedy review of He Huang's 'White Man's Burden'; featuring a witty sociopolitical satire and interactive character study.
He Huang’s White Man’s Burden arrives in Auckland this week for the NZ International Comedy Festival, live from 6th till 10th May at Q Theatre. Craccum would like to extend its gratitude to Elephant Publicity for the valuable opportunity to review the comedy show.
"White Man’s Burden – White Culture Onboarding Workshop" reads in bold white (of course) text on the projector. Before the show has even officially started, He Huang provokes audiences in their seats and leaves them wondering, “Exactly what have I just signed up for?”
In the simplest terms, you’ve signed up for a jarring (faux) tan line, near booty-like shorts, a beach-blonde wig, and an Elon Musk-coded white crewneck-wearing main character, aptly named Christopher Rice. White Man’s Burden levels with Tāmaki Makaurau’s superdiverse city population and asks them a provocative existential question: “What does it mean to be white—on the inside?” Cue the well-timed nervous laughter from all the white viewers in the room.
But fear not, because the lively and unapologetically “racially motivated” audience interaction easily proves to be one of the most memorable parts of the show. As the painfully self-aggrandizing Christopher Rice assures workshop attendees from the outset, each segment speaks to a uniquely not-so-unique aspect of white culture—and what that means for all the other colours of the rainbow!
Throughout each segment, you will learn to befriend satire. He Huang leans into everyone’s most dear cultural stereotypes, prompting a more purposive rhetorical dialogue about the historical dynamic between white people and peoples of colour. The very same stereotypes He Huang employs for satire have been relentlessly weaponized against POC communities throughout history.
Blending PowerPoint visuals reminiscent of high school presentations gone wrong—clumsy Photoshop edits and obnoxious stock images of political figures taken out of context—reminds us that sometimes, ‘simple’ truly is best. Some may find fault in the abundance of caricatures, but dare I say—isn’t that the point?
Amidst seemingly endless rainy days and dread-ridden bed rotting, I’d sooner find a reason to grapple with racism and white privilege—while still getting a cathartic laugh (or plenty) in the process.
With audiences on their feet, chuckling at the all-too-familiar opening of YMCA, He Huang retires from the stage as Christopher Rice and hangs his trademark baseball cap on the rack. Mr Rice may have shouldered the burden of teaching ‘Being White 101,’ but He Huang’s comedic satirical study was no burden to watch.
