Those of you who were planning on seeing Daily Show host Trevor Noah’s stand-up show in Hong Kong tomorrow evening were no doubt left feeling crestfallen and empty by news that the show had been cancelled amid the ongoing pro-democracy protests in the city.
But at least you’ll be happy to hear that, starting next week, you’ll be able to start filling in that Trevor-shaped hole in your heart with the not-insubstantial amount of money you forked over to see him in the first place.
Noah was due to perform at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre tomorrow at 7pm, but event organizer LA Comedy Live has said that due to “current circumstances,” the show has now been “postponed to an indefinite date.”
In an undated page on their website, they said: “The safety of the artist and the attendees has always been our top priority and we have been working on the rescheduled date of the event. Rest assured that we’ll keep each patron posted. Thank you for understanding.”
The page also notes that ticketing website HK Ticketing will be accepting refund requests from August 26 to September 25.
In May, it was announced that Noah would be visiting Hong Kong, Singapore, and Tokyo as part of the Asian leg of his Loud and Clear tour.
Noah has not publicly commented on the indefinitely postponed Hong Kong show, but like an ex rubbing their new relationship in our faces on social media, he did post a photo taken on Sunday at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore, where his stand up show went ahead.
https://www.facebook.com/TrevorNoah/photos/a.462236777452/10157478798597453/?type=3&theater
On a recent episode of The Daily Show, Noah commented on the recent, at times violent, protests at Hong Kong International Airport, which saw one of the world’s busiest airport grind to a halt after with hundreds of outbound flights cancelled over two days.
“Damn, that airport looks crazy. Yet somehow, still better than LaGuardia,” he joked. “Can you imagine getting off the flight and seeing this? ’Cause you forget, people were landing as well. You’d probably want to get right back on your plane, ’cause this is chaos — yeah, unless you flew on Spirit Airlines.”
“Spirit Airlines,” he continued, twisting the knife in the gut of the budget carrier, “it’s like a violent Chinese protest in the sky.”
In an earlier episode of The Daily Show, Noah had “congratulated the people of Hong Kong” after the mass protests succeeded in forcing Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam to suspend a controversial extradition bill back in June.
“It feels like this never happens,” he quipped. “You never see protests get an immediate result like this. It’s like seeing a kid at an arcade actually win a toy from that claw machine. I’ve never seen it.”
News of the cancellation, which was first reported by Slate last week, upset some comedy fans who were hoping for a much-needed laugh as the city continues to grapple with the major bummer that has been the last two months of tear gas, truncheons, and government recalcitrance.
Why did you cancel the Hong Kong leg of the tour? ☹️ You're from South Africa! I'm sure you could have handled HK's protests.
— Anita Balagopalan (@antsbala) August 17, 2019
Others tweeted at Noah, saying that despite the news coverage, Hong Kong is still a safe city.
You must be joking @Trevornoah! Don’t stay away. Hong Kong is safe. I’ve found body guards for you. pic.twitter.com/kWTeEf366q
— benwedeman (@bencnn) August 20, 2019
