Des Bishop’s Made In China

Des Bishop. Image via MICF. 

Des Bishop loves House of Pain’s ‘Jump Around’ – we’ve seen him perform it in Gaeilge and now in Chinese as he brings his latest show Made in China to Melbourne. ‘Jump Around’ in Mandarin is a great opener, celebrating the fact that Bishop has spent the last year living in China, learning the language and navigating the culture for an Irish television documentary. It’s ‘very SBS’ he jokes, saying that he has now expanded his audience for comedy by 1.3 billion.

While his language skills now mean he has comedy that literally appeals to masses of people, in the 100-seat venue upstairs at the Victoria Hotel, he makes no secret of the fact that he is still ironing out the show. What results is a set that feels like it could be great, but that is rough around the edges. Still, Bishop’s tales about navigating China; working in a Chinese restaurant; being mocked for his pronunciation; and the lack of interest he receives on the Chinese marriage market are amusing and he engages throughout.  

Bishop is huge in his native Ireland, mainly for his ability to make work that appeals to a wide range of people, in a smart yet accessible way. Made in China is no different and fans of his will find him entertaining even in this rough-cut version of the show, which will smooth out as his MICF run continues. 

Made in China is part Chinese lesson part comedy part documentary. Chinese people will love this show, as will those who have lived in China and attempted to learn a tonal language in which confusion breeds comedic material like nothing else. Irish fans will love it for their standard Bishop flair and Australians who haven’t yet seen him can spend an hour venturing into a world we know too little about.