disOrientalism Part 8: Godzilla v. The Karens

A spectacular all-star show with the city’s most accomplished AAPI performers curated and hosted by New York’s original comedy dragon ladies – notorious comedienne/rapper Kate Siahaan-Rigg alongside child star-turned-Broadway-actress Olivia Oguma. Come be thrilled by the virtuostic skills of Jazz world fave Helen Sung, the comedy of rising star Julia Shiplett, original music by Broadway baby and new wave rocker Sam Poon, and the legendary spoken word/rock duo Slanty Eyed Mama. This program lasts about 75 minutes and is guaranteed to boost your immunity against boredom, inaction, xenophobia, orientalism, and bowl cuts.

Cast bios:

Julia Shiplett (@juliashiplett) is a comedian, actor and writer based in NYC by way of Chicago. Named a Vulture Comedian to Watch, she has performed standup around the country as well as on Comedy Central and SHOWTIME. She has made appearances on TV series and films such as Love Life (HBO), Turn Me On (IFC) and most recently Overcompensating (Prime).

Sam Poon (@spoonuel) is an actor, singer and songwriter who been working since the age of nine. He was most recently seen as Warren in the world premiere of Empire Records at the McCarter Theatre in New Jersey. On Broadway he appeared in Macbeth, The King and I, and Sing Street. He also performed in national tours of Les Misérables and Billy Elliot. His numerous TV and Film credits include FBI, Boychoir, Crazy Famous, Portraits in Dramatic Time, Generation Wrecks, “NBC’s New Year’s Eve with Carson Daly,” “The Late Show with David Letterman,” and “The Today Show.” His original music defies genre and definition for a truly unique sonic experience.

HELEN SUNG (@sung_helen) is an award-winning jazz pianist and composer and a Guggenheim Fellow. A native of Houston, Texas, and alumna of HSPVA, she diverged from her classical upbringing after a jazz epiphany during studies at the University of Texas at Austin. Helen went on to graduate in the inaugural class of the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (re-named the Herbie Hancock Institute in 2019) and win the Kennedy Center’s Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition. In addition to her own band and projects, she has performed with such luminaries as Clark Terry, Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter, Wynton Marsalis, Regina Carter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Lea Delaria, and the Mingus Big Band. She is currently on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Columbia University. A Steinway artist, “Sung plays with crisp swing and elegant invention, her rhythms drawing from the music’s deepest blues roots – and setting listeners’ heads bobbing – while she explores her own fresh ideas, often inspired from her classical training.” (New York Times)

Slanty Eyed Mama (@slantyeyedmama) Part hip hop, part rock, part electroclash, part spoken word part comedy from two rock n roll asian chicks. The multi-award winning Slanty Eyed Mama interprets the world through the searing electric violin of Lyris Hung (who currently tours with the Indigo Girls and founded the progressive metal band HUNG) and the iconoclastic rants from Kate Rigg, aka. Lady K-Sian. Together they have headlined international music festivals, Asian Heritage Fests all over the country, been profiled twice on PBS, been invited to perform (also twice) at the Smithsonian Museum, and toured with numerous theatrical concerts like Zombie Asian Moms, Americasiana, Happy Lucky Golden Tofu Panda Dragon Good Time Fun Fun Show (also an award winning movie) and Birth of a nASIAN.

Kate Siahaan-Rigg (@kateriggnyc): A star on the Manhattan comedy scene, producer and co-host Kate Rigg graduated from Juilliard drama and immediately began moonlighting in comedy and spoken word club stages around the country, bringing solo shows (Zombie Asian Moms, Happy Lucky Golden Tofu Panda Dragon Good Time Fun Fun Show) and creating wild events like this one all over the city. In her day job she creates and produces comedy based tv shows and acts in plays.

Olivia Oguma (@olioguma): Co-host and producer Olivia was the first Asian-American Young Cosette in Les Misérables and has been wowing New York audiences ever since in the Broadway casts of Mamma Mia, A Christmas Carol, Disney’s High School Musical, Yellowface, and several off-Broadway shows. She has appeared in many, many productions of Miss Saigon (and zero productions of King and I. ) She does a lot of plays where she is usually crying or playing a 14 year old and sometimes, she plays a crying 14 year old. She has also been on a bunch of TV shows where she usually plays the token Asian assistant who drops something at inopportune times.

Photo credits: Helen Sung: Kate Villacorta
Sam Poon: Emily Hawkes
Slanty Eyed Mama: Helen Tansey
Olivia Oguma: Thomas Brunot
Kate Rigg: Helen Tansey