Ali Wong: Live (2023) – Review and Summary (with Spoilers)

While Ali Wong’s opening act doesn’t present the type of comedy that can leave a strong impression, seeing her live and raw about life post-divorce is a treat.

General Information

This section includes information about the production, cast, staff, venue, and crew.

Writer(s)	Sheng Wang, Ali Wong
Language	English
Attendance Type	In Person
Event Status	On Schedule
Venue or Network (Beacon Theater)	2124 Broadway, New York, NY 10023
Performance Date	August 2, 2023
First Performance At This Venue	August 1, 2023
Opening Night Performance	August 1, 2023
Last Performance At This Venue	August 6, 2023
Venue URL	https://www.aliwong.com/tour
Tickets Starting At	$91.30
Genre(s)	Stand Up Comedy
Duration	1 hour 30 minutes
Noted Performers
Himself	Sheng Wang
Herself	Ali Wong

Summary

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Opener

When it comes to Sheng Wang’s set, it is all over the place. From jokes about aging, people’s kids, food, doing a show in a sex shop, going camping, and more, he is giving you the highlight reel for at least twenty minutes.

Headliner

What does Ali Wong talk about? Life post-divorce. Mainly getting dicked down and enjoying the gift of experience. She has been loved, has kids, and got married, so now the need for compromise and all the stuff she hated about a real committed relationship? F*** all that.

Now, does that mean she is against love? Absolutely not. But being 40, divorced, and desired in ways she wasn’t in her teens and twenties? You gotta be pretty special for her to give up this newfound freedom, men from 25 to 60 courting her, and her patience being lower than ever for how men act once they stop sending out their representative.

Content Information

• Dialog: Cursing throughout, description of sex acts, and a story about someone threatening suicide

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (If Affordable)

Highlights

The Storytelling

For both Wang and Wong, the storytelling is on point. I’d even say for Wang, the stories dealing with camping and how ridiculous it is was easier to find entertaining than his jokes – based off my sense of humor. However, as you transition from Wang to Wong, you understand why he is opening for Wong. Not to warm you up or make you appreciative for when she finally comes on, but because they are similar in wanting to make a mundane story funny.

Wong is a bit more explicit, as she talks about sucking dick and how much sex and courtship she has enjoyed over the last year, but Wang isn’t a slouch. You’ll remember him talking about greeting people with nine-to-five jobs for early morning coffee, then going to bed. Just as much as him talking about the kids in his life.

In fact, you may praise Wang over Wong, for while Wong is funnier, she is hyper-focused on dating after divorce, while Wang seeks varying topics which, of them all, surely one you’ll be able to relate to.

Ali Wong’s Take On Divorce

For many, divorce is hard, traumatic, and arduous, making it the perfect thing to use for fodder for an hour. Wong doesn’t do this. We don’t spend an hour listening to her complain about her marriage, her husband, what he didn’t do, or anything similar. She doesn’t trash him.

Instead, Wong is focused on life post-divorce which she makes sound far more rosy than most. Mind you, does she still want to find love and her potential forever person? Yes. But she also makes it clear she has checked off most of the boxes already. She got the wedding, got married, has kids, so a lot of the stuff which she’d put up with in her 20s? Yeah, that’s not going to happen. Especially since, unlike when she was a teenager, she has a lot of people interested in ways she never would have expected.

Add in Wong isn’t against casual sex, to a point, as long as the guy knows what he is doing? Hence her talking about sex with people over 60 and those hovering around 25. Ultimately leaving you free to applaud, envy, or even be curious about Wong’s next chapter than you feeling bad for her or annoyed that you spent $100+ to listen to her stuck in her last chapter.

On The Fence

Sheng Wang’s Comedy

Counter-programming is the best way to describe Wang’s comedy. He isn’t a clean comic, but he is not as dirty as Wong, and a lot of his jokes are silly. Be it jokes about the name for the seasoning, “Cumin,” or how campers somehow think a zipper is going to protect them from bears who can run faster than humans and easily maul them.

All of this makes for pleasant stories, but being the stone-faced person I generally am at comedy shows, I wouldn’t say Wang delivered anything which would make you want to watch his special – even if you already have Netflix.

The Question Of If This Is Worth The Premium To See It Before It Airs On A Network

I’d even add, in terms of Wong, while she is funny, I wasn’t slapping my knee and gasping for air. She definitely got a few audible laughs out of me, but I don’t know if it was worth $100+ to hear jokes before they inevitably end up on Netflix, polished and curated. But that is the challenge a lot of comedians face. Between free bits on social media and knowing, like with movies in theaters, there isn’t going to be an excessively long wait to see the product in the comfort of your own home? It makes it so that the more money being asked for, the higher the expectation. So when those expectations aren’t met, you find yourself comparing the price for their one ticket vs. the subscription cost of any platform their set could ultimately end up on.

Who Is This For?

Fans of comedy that it isn’t just about the punchline but the story, and for those who aren’t against dirty jokes dealing with sex.

Recommendations

If you like this, we recommend:

1. Beef
2. Always Be My Maybe
3. Ali Wong’s comedy specials (Hard Knock Wife | Baby Cobra)

Check out our Live Performance page for our latest reviews, as well as recommendations.