A reality show, being streamed on Chinese platform iQiyi, focuses on comedy, Chen Nan reports.

Mime artist Wu Liuqi performs Bob's Travel in the reality show, Super Sketch Show. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Wu Liuqi doesn't need fancy sets to tell his tales. With a big red nose, a pair of round spectacles like Harry Potter, and his expressive body language, Wu, a 31-year-old mime artist, made his stage debut in the reality show Super Sketch Show, broadcast by streaming platform iQiyi, with a five-minute performance, titled Bob's Travels.

Playing the role of Bob, who finds a magic hat which turns him into the captain of a big boat, Wu takes audience along on his voyage into a fairy tale world, where he meets new friends and helps to find the grandmother of one of them. The actor's commitment to engage with the audience allows him to do a lot onstage.

There are many great comedians in China and we want to offer those who may not have been seen by the audience before, a platform.

Ma Dong, well-known television personality

"The audience love to see the actor use nothing but his skills to create a magical world," comments one viewer on Sina Weibo.

Actor Cao Muzhi, who also participated in the reality show, says he was "taken back" to his childhood while watching the one-man show. "I even felt a little bit lost after returning to reality."

Wu, a Beijing native, has been performing and touring as a mime artist for 10 years and has gained a faithful fan base in the country. This is the first time Wu has performed in a reality show which premiered on Oct 15 and is being streamed weekly on iQiyi.

The reality show invites five celebrity judges－actor-director Huang Bo, actor-director Xu Zheng, actor Yu Hewei, leading standup comedian Li Dan and well-known television personality Ma Dong－and audience members to vote for 25 groups of contestants. With many rounds of competition, comedians work as soloists or in groups to create original shows for the final win.

According to Ma, founder of Beijing-based media enterprise Mewe, which produced the reality show along with iQiyi, comedy is at the center of the show, which opens up various genres.

Comedy is not new to Chinese reality shows produced by TV stations and streaming platforms. For Ma, it's also a family tradition since his father, Ma Ji (1934-2006), was a xiangsheng (cross-talk) master.

"Comedy is hard. The judgement is made based on one rule－whether it makes you laugh or not," says Ma Dong.

"All comedy, at its core, is tragedy, if you look deep enough into it. That's why it is so hard."

Actors Zhang Chi (left) and Jiang Long win hearts of the audience with their comedy, The Last Class. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

New opportunities

What makes the reality show win the hearts of the audience is that it is open to lesser-known comedians who bring surprises. Some of them are veteran actors, who have been performing in TV dramas, movies and musicals for years, but still haven't achieved fame, while some are newcomers.

"There are many great comedians in China and we want to offer those who may not have been seen by the audience before, a platform," Ma Dong says.

The art of mime is usually considered a niche compared to other theatrical art forms. Wu, however, sees it as a relaxing break from the fast-paced life, which is loud and chaotic.

As the father of a 3-year-old, he wants to create more shows for both children and adults, especially the latter who need a moment to have fun and laugh.

When Wu started to perform as a mime artist, his first show was seen by fewer than 10 people, all of whom were invited to the show for free.

"In the beginning, I struggled to make people laugh. It took me a long time to learn, to practice, to see what keeps an audience laughing and what makes them disinterested," says Wu.

"It feels great to make people laugh. The theater gives people imagination, where they can dream with me."

Ten years ago, Wu and his childhood friend Wang Zi, also a mime artist, founded a club in Beijing, hoping to popularize the genre. They named the club Na Da Ding, or "handstand".

"When you need a good idea for a show, it helps to do a handstand for a few seconds, and let the blood flow to your brain," Wu says.

Now, with around 10 members, the club tours nationally. Last year, Wang performed about 130 shows at small live house venues in China.

"For me, mime is very cool because it is totally dependent on the self-expression of the artists," says Wang, 31, who also showcased his act in the reality show, incorporating dance, hand gestures and a clown performance in his works.

Wang Zi combines mime, dance, hand gestures and clown performance in his shows. (PHOTO PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Honing skills

Actor Jiang Long, 25, made his breakthrough and has gained a large fan base with his comedic play, titled The Last Class, which received high scores both from the celebrity judges and the audience.

Jiang plays the role of a jobless actor who works at an escape room to pay his rent. While playing the role of a zombie, he meets his acting teacher, who is keen on giving more training to Jiang, despite the awkward situation.

"It's a real story. I went to act in an escape room, where I met a friend, who is an actor. He is a good actor and was devoted to his job of scaring people. He didn't give up acting, although he had to figure out a way to make a living," recalls Jiang.

"For many young actors, it is difficult to find jobs after graduation. I am experiencing the same situation and still waiting for opportunities."

One of the judges, Huang, was touched by Jiang's performance, which reminded him of his own experience.

The 47-year-old actor-director recalls his early days pursuing an acting career in Beijing.

"After graduation in 2004, no one hired me to act so I had to return to my hometown to make a living. I was struggling and depressed. Then I returned to Beijing to continue to look for opportunities to act because I just couldn't give it up."

Born and raised in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Jiang graduated from Beijing Film Academy in 2015.He learned to play the piano and practice Latin dance as a child, winning a provincial competition in 2005. He got his first role in a 2004 comedy TV drama, Grow Up, which introduced him to acting.

He says that some of his actor friends have left the scene to do other things, like opening restaurants. However, he still possesses hope.

Coming to the reality show allowed Jiang to test his acting skills in comedy. He was intrigued by the genre and decided to concentrate on it.

"Good comedy cures people. I become happy and confident when I make people laugh. I met lots of talented comedians in the reality show, who inspired me," says Jiang.

Before Super Sketch Show, Ma Dong's company successfully produced a reality show, titled The Big Band, in 2019, which brought once-underground Chinese indie rock bands into the limelight.

In 2020, the second season of the reality show also achieved success, which attracted many young music fans to outdoor festivals and live house venues to enjoy their live performances.

For Super Sketch Show, Ma Dong and his team spent a year working with scriptwriters, actors and actresses－double the time they worked on The Big Band.

"The process of preparing for Super Sketch Show was full of concern. We didn't want to entertain ourselves. We were just trying to make people happy and to deliver a warm, funny package for all ages," says Ma Dong.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn