Caught in the 'cross' fire(2)

This show is considered the most "sensitive" among all of the workshop's works, because it contains jokes making fun of Taiwanese politicians. To local fans' disappointment (who have watched many previous performances online) the Shanghai version of The Last One has been "spayed," according to fans. The rude words and "inappropriate" jokes have been removed from the script, and one whole episode, deemed too politically sensitive, has been replaced.

"I'd rather consider the censorship as a help to our work, than see it as an obstacle," said Feng. "The fact that they agreed to censor our works shows they wanted us to perform. If they didn't, we would have been banned outright."

Artistic credibility

For the sake of artistic credibility, the comedians say there is a need to constantly modify the show to take account of changing times, and also of the changes in the performers' lives. "The Last One was premiered 10 years ago. And the unhappy feelings about Taiwan's then politicians have already evaporated. The people we were poking fun at have long been forgotten. And especially in Shanghai, audiences might never have heard of them in the first place.

"It's pointless to try to get laughs from of out-of-date topics," said Feng. "We are no longer as young and energetic as we were 10 years ago, both mentally and physically. We are not able to scamper about on the stage. So that's another reason why we have adapted the performance. And if The Last One can be staged, maybe there will be the chance to stage other less sensitive works on the Chinese mainland. I would hope that one day I could bring the latest work to Shanghai, in tandem with Taipei, rather than a 10-year-old one."

Feng and Song said that it's also common for crosstalk performers to modify their performances depending on the audience. "Some jokes are universal, whereas others work because of a shared cultural background. So there are some jokes about Taiwanese people's lives and experiences that may not be understood by Shanghai audiences," said Feng.

When asked if the Comedian's Workshop would include Shanghai-based stories in the future, Feng said: "I have only been in Shanghai for three weeks. I hope someday I can add in some real life Shanghai stories if I get the opportunity to spend more time here. I'd rather not use stories as a traveler, as this may result in prejudicial opinions."