Phan brings more than comedy to The Beach

By Andrew Conway
Daily Forty-Niner

Dat Phan delivered much more than a hilarious comedy routine to Cal State Long Beach, Thursday night in the Beach Small Auditorium, he also divulged his thoughts on life, humanity and the human spirit.

Phan, the winner of NBC's "The Last Comic Standing," appeared in front of a large crowd of students and fans.

Phan's routine was preceded and succeeded by the improv comedy troop "Insults to Injury," who provided sketches similar to those seen on "Whose Line is it Anyway?" Phan was even caught laughing backstage at the antics of the troop.

"It's incredible what they do, to be able to improvise like that is amazing," he said.

After "Insults to Injury" successfully warmed the up the crowd, Phan took center stage. For 40 minutes he engaged the audience with witty, cultural stereotypes, primarily about Vietnam, his native country.

"People always ask me why a lot of my comedy focuses around Asians. Well, I am Asian, what else am I going to talk about?" he said. "I believe to be part of the mainstream you have to make fun of yourself."

He also employed the use of what he calls "hybrid stand-up comedy," a combination of acting and traditional stand-up comedy and mimicking a one-man play. He said his favorite character to portray was his mother. Many laughs were achieved simply by uttering her stereotypical Asian voice.

At the conclusion of his comedy bit, a 10-minute video was played with selected scenes from "The Last Comic Standing," which sparked a question frenzy and debate for what was to follow.

In an unprecedented act, Phan opened himself up to questions from the audience for 45 minutes, and encouraged the crowd to ask him "anything," which he vowed to answer candidly.

Phan spoke of his troubled past, his time on the show and of his hopes and aspirations. He even offered advice and encouragement in the sincere fashion rarely seen from today's celebrities.

Following the show, Phan stood at the auditorium's exit to sign autographs and take pictures with every single willing fan. And he was not only going through the robotic movements; he genuinely wanted to be there. He engaged in conversation with every one of his fans, forming whatever unique connection he could find with them.

Dat Phan's comedy is enjoyable for an evening, but his sincerity will stay with you long after the laughter stops.