Apr 14, 20233 min read

Jenny Tian: Picture This MICF 2023 (VIC)

Presented by A Token Event. Written by Jenny Tian.

Reviewed by Justin Clarke

Trades Hall - Meeting Room

Trades Hall - Common Rooms Bar

Until 23rd April, 2023

Tickets: https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/2023/shows/picture-this

- Proving herself to be more than just a social media comedian, Jenny Tian establishes herself in the comedy circuit with ease -

For those on the pulse of social media, you would know Jenny Tian from her videos that compare Sydney to Melbourne and other astute observational comedy where she harnesses her extremely Australian speaking voice that is, in her words, entirely contradictory to her face. It’s a gift then that Tian proves she is more than just a social media comedian and in fact can hold her own in a standup routine that is clever, well-paced and packed with cross-cultural laughs.

Picture This sees Tian break the show up between drawings, jokes and three stories of betrayal. Armed with a crudely drawn powerpoint, Tian isn’t afraid to make titty jokes and swing into sexual innuendo to warm up the crowd. Beginning the show by getting to know her audience, she quickly discovered that tonight’s crowd know her from social media and not for her standup, which she makes a mission to rectify.

Whilst inviting the crowd into the guidelines of a comedy set, she is yet to respond organically to vocal additions from her audience to help aid the show and create the atmosphere she attempts to establish at the beginning. Tian is still a growing performer and the moments of laughter that don’t get the biggest laughs are swiftly moved on to bigger and better setups.

Pulling punches at her own Chinese identity brings great laughs from the mixed crowd in the house as she harnesses offensive Mandarin that is interpreted to English and transferred to the highest Chinese-populated city in Melbourne (after a quick Google search of course). Even her name is contradictory to her identity, with Tian fully believing that her parents chose Jenny due to their love of Forrest Gump.

The intermittent jokes break up the stories of betrayal that make up the arc of Tian’s show, one of which depicts a graph of the most offensive Coldplay songs to Chinese people. Spoilers, the highest rated song will change the way you listen to it forever. It’s these nuggets of comedic gold that portray where Tian’s talents lie.

The real appeal of Picture This comes in the form of Tian’s stories of betrayal. Each journey from the betrayal of culture, to friendship and ultimately love draws “oohs” and “aahs” from the crowd as we invest in the situations Tian experiences. Spattered amongst these are tales from Tian’s love life: her awful journey on Tinder and a love story that has forever ruined Vivid Sydney for her.

Jenny Tian is swiftly establishing herself as a performer to watch on the comedy circuit as she breaks beyond the four walls of social media and onto the live stage. With the skill set of two cultures under her belt in which to pull ammo from, Tian is one to keep an eye on as she develops her comedic prowess. If there’s one thing to take away from Picture This, it’s that Jenny Tian is more than just a social media observer and deserves her own place in the comedy world.

This show is eligible for the Laugh Pack – buy full price tickets to 3+ eligible different performances in one transaction for a 10% discount. Excludes previews, Tightarse Tuesday and Saturday performances.

Adult:

Mon $24.00

Thu $24.00

Fri & Sat $27.00

Sun $24.00

Concession:

Mon $22.00

Thu $22.00

Sun $22.00

Group (6+):

Mon $22.00

Thu $22.00