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Ali Wong: Single Lady premiered on October 8, 2024 on Netflix. Ali Wong returns to the stand-up stage with her latest special, shedding the constraints of her previously monogamous life and embracing her post-divorce identity. Directed by Wong herself, this fourth special is different from the home-oriented framework of her earlier works like Baby Cobra and Don Wong.
Now free of guardrails, Wong takes the audience along with her whirlwind of romantic escapades as she reimagines the narrative of the middle-aged, divorced woman. More than not some tragic figure, she ends up emerging triumphant, reveling in newfound freedom and independence.
What distinguishes Ali Wong: Single Lady is Wong's skill at marrying searing vulnerability to the raunchy, transgressive humor she deploys in recalling her "carnal rumspringa" after her divorce.
Graphic, often absurdly cartoonish anecdotes populate her account of that time in her life. For Wong, there's huge confidence running throughout the whole performance-showing her at her most powerful.
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True, though, while her quite unusual personal circumstances make great fodder for the drama, it also raises the question of whether her story is relatable for viewers living everyday lives, navigating divorce and middle-age transformations.
Ali Wong: Single Lady's direction proves Wong's mastery behind a camera
In Single Lady, Ali Wong doubles down to prove that her talents extend beyond the mic by taking up the director's seat. Director choices are sharp and effective, emphasizing strength not only as a performer but also as a teller of stories.
The tight camera angles she uses capture intimate moments of her routine while ensuring her physicality, a crucial part of her comedy, always remains in the front and center.
Seated in the iconic Wiltern Theater in Los Angeles, their energy is palpable as Wong unites them with such deliberate shots of their reactions.
Keeping the stage setup minimal, focused only on her and not creating too much distraction with complications in her performance, makes the act immensely raw and intimate.
Simpleness also allows her storytelling to be promoted and still not lose itself in many distractors.
Choosing a juxtaposition of wide shots with close-ups of key punch lines heightens the comedic impact while bringing out her delivery's emotional subtleties also heightens the serious action going on around it.
Ali Wong: Single Lady's cinematography has a subtle enhancement of stage presence
The cinematography in Ali Wong: Single Lady extends the support that Wong's comedic rhythm needs. Shot on film in a cinematic style more resonant of a live performance than a standard stand-up comedy special, the visuals keep things moving at all times.
Wide shots of the Wiltern Theater give a sense of scale and roominess that contrast with close-ups of Wong's facial expressions, which get into the nuances of her humor.
Lighting also serves to emphasize different moments in her narrative: deeper lighting whenever she is more introspective contributes to a personal feel, while brighter lighting underlines her louder and more outrageous stories.
These cinematographic decisions frame Wong as both the vulnerable narrator and the fierce comic that she captures.
Ali Wong: Single Lady's dialogue delivery is unfiltered and fast-paced
Ali Wong comes with a trademark of unrelenting, outrageous, and fearless dialogue. She can suddenly and smoothly shift topics in the middle of a sentence without losing her audience. From telling explicit stories about dating to reflecting on her divorce, Wong delivers every line with impeccable timing and clarity, even bringing laughter to the most unlikely of moments.
What comes across strongest in Ali Wong: Single Lady is the way Wong balances vulnerability with her signature bravado. There she bares her soul about shame and public attention surrounding divorce, yet very quickly flips the narrative to make it empowering-all through rapid-fire delivery.
Wong's comic style is almost as much about what she says as how she says with biting wit and brazen honesty. The pauses, expressions, and exaggerated body language enhance the punchlines and keep the audience together from beginning to end.
In Single Lady, Ali Wong doesn't just tell her story after divorce-she takes it back and recounts it with a bold confident, and cheerful voice, which makes her story quite particular.
Ali Wong: Single Lady fearlessly redefines midlife freedom with bold humor, turning her post-divorce journey into an empowering, hilarious triumph. It is currently streaming on Netflix.
