Margaret Cho leaves Warner Stage in stitches

There was a distinct feeling of anticipation on Friday, May 13 in the Warner Theatre as people packed into their seats to wait for comedian Margaret Cho to take the stage. The audience's expectations weren't let down either. Cho engaged viewers with the hysterical, smart and outrageous performance everyone had hoped for.

Before Cho showed herself though, opening act Bruce Daniels gave a great, but brief, set that got the laughs in the theatre rolling. In his act, Daniels made fun of everything from the Paula Abdul American Idol scandal to his own experiences in the dating scene. Daniels' best material was all on the Bush administration, and even the Bush twins, who he said "make the Hilton sisters look like members of Mensa." Besides imitating the bubbly Bush daughters, Daniels also joked about, as well as made serious points about, the government's stance on gay-marriage and their views on homosexuality, "No administration is going to scare me back into the closet," said Daniels, to much applause, in his closing words.

Following Daniels' portion of the night, Cho quickly grabbed the spotlight with a highly energetic knockout of a show. Cho's routine was filled with political commentary, provocative humor, racy jokes, personal stories, imitations and just about everything else that makes her such a distinctive performer.

Cho started off her act with a hilarious slam on the general hysteria involved in the US news media. Cho first started reflecting on a recent trip to England, and pointed out how calm their news anchors present the news, by using her very own English accent imitation. Cho then switched to American news by screaming out headlines such as "RUNAWAY BRIDE" in a high-strung and panicking screech that perfectly embodied much of the chaos present in recent news.

From her opening spiel on, Cho only got funnier. Nobody was spared from Cho's relentless humor. She joked about many politically incorrect topics such as Christian extremists in America, the new and past Pope and even Terri Schiavo. In her comments about Schiavo, Cho said that if she were ever in Schiavo's condition, "You bettah kill me, or I gonna find a way to kill you. I'll stare at you with my one good eye, until you kill yourself," followed by Cho making one of her many unbelievable faces. However, Cho also asserted in a serious tone that the media's exploitation of Schiavo was wrong, and that it should have stayed a personal matter between her family.

Besides touching on general recent events, Cho also let her ultra-liberal voice roar in her set. Cho joked mercilessly about Bush as well as the results of last election, which she commented provided a "color coded map to where all the stupid people are." In addition to Bush, Cho also imitated and spoofed California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Conservatives weren't the only ones at the butt end of Cho's jokes. Cho even took a shot at 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry. "Talking to him is like talking to an ent, you know, the tree people from 'Lord of the Rings?'," said Cho, jumping into a hysterical impersonation of Kerry, complete with a monotone voice and hilarious body motions.

Cho's set also featured her making light of her own personal life. She shared uproarious stories about her racy romantic life, her identity as an Asian-American, her run-ins with critics and, of course, her dear old mother. All of Cho's stories had her own personal touch to them and were told in the comical panache she has so greatly mastered over the years.

Though Cho's act was a real hoot, she also managed to slip in thoughtful messages about the need to end racism and homophobia, to guarantee more rights for women and many other important subjects. On Friday night, Cho not only gave her all for comedy, but discussed important messages that are dodged far too often.