Margaret Cho

There’s an audible audience cringe when Margaret Cho explains – with all the detail of an autopsy report – what she thinks might have put off the man about to have sex with her. ‘I’d like to apologise to all the people who didn’t know what to expect, but came here because they liked Memoirs of a Geisha,’ shrugs Cho, the potty-mouthed San Francisco TV comedian (Sex and the City, 30 Rock, Drop Dead Diva). And no, she’s not Japanese, or Alaskan for that matter, she’s Korean, getting her biggest laughs from playing around with Asian stereotypes she gets landed with. Her flyer-avoidance strategy in Edinburgh is to giggle cutely, wear knee-high socks and carry a camera.

When she first arrives on stage, there’s roughly a two-minute wait before the first mention of Cho’s genitals, and from then on, the camel toe, pussy and bush jokes are never more than about 30 seconds away. (Insert rant about female comedians over-playing the anatomy card here.) Her sex life also gets a thorough going-over: ‘I have sex with men, and with women; and transgendered people too,’ offers Cho, trying to label her own sexuality. ‘I guess I’m just greedy.’ On the music front, a country song with the chorus ‘I’m Sorry I Shot You in the Face’ is a highlight.

Pot smoking and sext-messaging habits are also explored allowing for an always welcome visit from one of Cho’s expert impersonations, this time of her mother, an over-protective, heavily-accented fusser who Cho clearly adores. Cyndi Lauper and a Sloaney woman also showcase her uncanny ability for silly voices. But despite Cho’s confident performance, and a packed-out, queer-friendly audience, the gags seem over-reliant on show-off stuff about being ‘like, such a fucking stoner?’ We know to expect ‘adult’ material from Cho, just not so adolescent.

Assembly George Square, 623 3030, until 29 Aug (not 17), 9pm, £15–£16 (£13–£14).