Margaret Cho's in town with her latest show, The State of Emergency, which she's performing in an ambitious month-long residency at the New Player's Theatre. She's supported by Bruce Daniels, who is sweet and funny and could probably charm a laugh out of a corpse.

Although she's a superstar in the States, Cho is virtually unknown in the UK, so here's her story in a nutshell: Cho started doing stand-up comedy whilst still in her teens. In 1994 she starred in All American Girl, the first US television sitcom to feature an Asian cast. The show got cancelled and Cho spiralled out on drink and drugs. However, she bounced back into an astonishingly successful career as a comedian, actress and cultural critic. Oh yes, and she went out with Quentin Tarantino. These days, everyone wants a piece of her.

The thing about Cho is that she's got a big fat mouth on her. It's nothing short of exhilarating to watch a small Asian woman in her mid-thirties demolish every symbol of authority that she pleases. In these terror-filled times Cho is fearless, nothing intimidates her. From obvious references to President Bush's administration, to some fabulously shocking comments about our own David Blunkett, Cho delivers the goods.

If you need more of an idea of where Cho is coming from, you could do much worse than check out her blog.

Although this new show incorporates older routines, Cho also manages to keep it fresh. So what appears on her blog is likely to appear in her show, and on the press night for The State of Emergency she worked in some hot new material about the kind of sex women might offer to fine-looking men.

Cho is queer in the broadest sense, and a huge part of her performance is about gay people, homophobia and her support for gay rights. Sitting in front of us was a straight couple who had been canoodling throughout the performance. When Cho began talking about the idea of Straight Shame, as opposed to Gay Pride, my evil girlfriend and I were delighted to see the couple squirm visibly.

The international queer conspiracy means that gay people will get her stuff, but  perhaps The State of Emergency does not translate so easily from US to UK audiences. I hope Cho isn't too disconcerted by our English reserve when it comes to whooping our approval for a gag.

Anyway, Cho's politics are straight down the line liberal and watching her mix social commentary with comedy is a bit like taking a time warp trip back to 1980s British stand-up. It kills me to say it, but Cho's take on Bush was weirdly similar to Ben Elton trashing Thatcher back in the day. And whilst her willingness to take an unpopular political stance is laudable, albeit presented to an unquestioningly supportive audience, it's as though she's telling us that Bush is a rotten guy when we already know this for a fact.

I wouldn't want Cho to whitewash her views, as if she could, but for me the biggest laughs came from the broader jokes about more universal human experiences, rather than the preaching to the converted politics or being an American obsessed with America.

But ignore my complaints. The State of Emergency is a great show, thought provoking and genuinely funny, as comedy should be. Cho is at the top of her game, her skill as a performer is breathtaking and inspiring, and this is a rare chance to see her in action in somewhat intimate surroundings, working hard to win an audience. Don't miss it!

Read our interview with Margaret Cho.

Margaret Cho: State of Emergency
New Players Theatre
Under The Arches (opposite Heaven nightclub)
Villiers Street
London, WC2
0870 033 2626

30 November 2004-1 January 2005

Performance Times: Tuesday-Saturday at 7.30pm; late shows Friday and Saturday at 10pm
Ticket Prices: £10-£30

10 front row tickets at each Saturday 10pm late show will be priced at £46 pounds and includes entry to Heaven to spend the evening with Margaret Cho in the VIP lounge and a free signed copy of one of her concert DVDs.

It's a Cho-fest! Buy Margaret Cho's book, I'm the One That I Want, online and save yourself some money to buy the three-show set Margaret Cho: I'm the One That I Want / Notorious C.H.O. / Revolution on DVD. Buy online and save money.