Have you ever wondered why there is no Michael Jackson, Prince, Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Oliver Stone, Steve Jobs, or Elon Musk in Beijing or Pyongyang?  I have.  Strangely enough, the answer to that question came to me after I read an article on the rise of stand-up comedy in China.    The author points out that although comedy clubs are becoming increasingly popular in cities like Beijing, comedians can only be so funny because certain subjects are off-limits, taboo, not to be discussed – OR ELSE.  For instance, a joke about a mother or a wife is fine and dandy,  but poke fun at the CCP or the Chinese military, and a comedian may find himself fined, censored, shut down, arrested, or worse.  Under those conditions, Dave Chappelle wouldn’t be able to rise to the level of a – Dave Chappelle.

“Cyrano’s Journey” is a quirky ode to America, a place where imagination (and jokes) is not limited to black and white walls.