Its @joannekampohpoh at her most vulnerable but at the same time in total command of her audience with her remarkable comedic timing. In La La Lian 2.0, during the first part of the show, Joanne transported us back to her hometown, Ipoh, where she grew up and then to JB where she spent her troubled teenage years. And with every step of the way, Joanne held our hands as she regaled stories on her loving parents, their relationship with food, how she navigated herself through high school in a co-ed environment, her first boyfriend etc. There are also funny stories on how she escaped to Singapore where she landed her first gig as an entertainer which sets the tone on what she wanted to do professionally, and her first brush with the fabulous world of gay boys. All perfectly intertwined and with each jokes she landed, Pentas 1 KLPAC roared with laughter. By this time, Joanne, the self proclaimed Ah Lian but also referred to as Malaysia’s Queen of Comedy, had us all wrapped around her little finger. The second part of the show took us down the days of yore, but an iconic phase of KL’s underground club scene, the Boom Boom Room years where Joanne carved her name as the one to watch. Punters would fly down from all over the region to KL every weekend to party with her and her gang of drag queens. They were the ultimate showgirls. And then it gets deeper as she opened up about the subject of being a single mother. You really have to be there to appreciate the whole thing. With 30 years of experience being on stage, one can tell that Joanne has set a certain standard for herself. She wants to do better and we were all rooting for her. What would Malaysia’s stand up comedy scene be without Joanne Kam Poh Poh who has paved the way for many others. And as someone who has worked and collaborated with her on projects before, I can attest to her professionalism and love for the stage and her audience. Hard to do when comedy in this country, especially stand up, has consistently been under fire and lambasted by the powers that be. Thank you Joanne for last night. You are a true force! #jcprmatters