Samuel Parker first recited an opening poem, stunning the entire audience. Then, using himself and Henry Carter as material, he threw out a few jokes to test the waters—completely improvising on the spot. In the world of crosstalk, this kind of improvisation is called “现挂” (xiànguà), and it’s a real test of one’s ability to react in the moment.

Now, seeing each punchline land, the audience’s expressions gradually relaxed, and their attention shifted to what he was saying, rather than just focusing on filming his face with their phones. Only then did he slowly lead into the main topic.

“…Speaking of my mom, she’s a typical actress who loves beauty—she won’t allow anything ugly in her life. So, the protagonist of the story I’m about to tell you must also be beautiful.”

Samuel Parker smoothly transitioned from Henry Carter to the main act.

“This story didn’t happen that long ago—just in the Xianfeng era. In Changzhou City, there was a good-for-nothing named Yang, first name Andrew, who is the protagonist of our story. He had no parents, and even his relatives and neighbors didn’t like him. How much did they dislike him? When a family surnamed Zhao on the street was robbed, he was the first one they suspected. The county magistrate was a muddle-headed fool, and after a botched trial, he threw him in jail.

“Andrew Baker had no parents and no one to look after him. Less than half a month after going in, he died of illness! This ‘瘐’ isn’t the ‘愚’ for foolish—Andrew Baker didn’t die in prison because he was stupid, but because of illness. In the past, prison conditions were terrible, and the jailers weren’t easy to deal with. Many prisoners who weren’t sentenced to death ended up dying inside from cold, hunger, or sickness. That’s what ‘瘐死’ means. Tell me, wasn’t his death unjust?”

Samuel Parker spoke with a steady breath, each segment clear and well-paced. Though the jokes weren’t as dense as in the opening, he had already captured everyone’s attention.

After hearing these two parts, the audience still had a question: this good-for-nothing died in jail—how is he a beautiful protagonist? Where’s the beauty?

“After Andrew Baker died, he arrived at the underworld and, of course, cried out for justice. The King of Hell checked with the local City God and said Andrew Baker should be declared innocent and released. Andrew Baker said, ‘I’m already dead—are you releasing me to become a wandering ghost?’ The King of Hell said, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not like that muddle-headed magistrate. Your body is already rotting in the mass grave, but don’t be afraid. Right now, there are two living people whose time is up. You can borrow one of their bodies to return to the world, finish out your remaining days, and clear your name. You have two choices—take your pick.’【http://www.repanso.com】Cloud drive Baidu search for resources, novels, movies—it’s really useful.

“Andrew Baker was overjoyed—he could even choose! The King of Hell said, ‘One is the wife of the head of the Zhao family who falsely accused you, and the other is the wife of the magistrate who wrongly convicted you. Which one do you want?’”

The audience burst into laughter and applause.

Now it all made sense—no wonder the protagonist was called beautiful. Turns out, this guy was going to switch from male to female, possessing a woman’s body. That really piqued everyone’s interest.

This monologue is called “Mistaken Identity and Reincarnation.” It tells the story of a good-for-nothing, Andrew Baker, who dies unjustly in prison and is reincarnated in the body of the magistrate’s wife who wrongly convicted him—a man borrowing a woman’s body, leading to a ridiculous and hilarious tale.

With just his voice, Samuel Parker brought three or five characters to life, each vivid and distinct—even the male character playing a woman was portrayed in a lively and convincing way.

The story, interspersed with jokes, was told in a smooth and engaging manner. The absurd and witty details kept the audience on the edge of their seats, and half an hour passed without anyone noticing.

And it still wasn’t finished—this was a medium-length monologue, divided into three parts: beginning, middle, and end. [http://www.repanso.com] Baidu cloud search engine, find novels, movies, follow dramas.

There was no way to finish the whole story today. The plot had reached the point where the magistrate insisted on sharing a room with his wife, and the good-for-nothing, now in the wife’s body, panicked—while undressing, he pushed the magistrate away: “If you’ve got the guts, come on! I’ll kill you today if I have to!”

“Bang!” Samuel Parker slapped the wooden block, signaling the end.

The audience, still immersed in the story, burst into laughter. Realizing it had ended here, they were left wanting more—the story wasn’t finished yet!

If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn’t have believed that such a young, handsome guy—rumored to be quite quiet and reserved—could actually be so eloquent.

He talked non-stop for over half an hour—how could anyone call that quiet? If so, what would that make them—mute?

The crowd responded with enthusiastic applause as Samuel Parker took a crisp bow and left the stage.

……

Inside the private box.

Benjamin Reed listened to the whole performance with a broad smile. He’d never heard this script before, so it was probably a unique piece from Samuel Parker’s teacher. Most likely, it really was from an old artist who had gone overseas—otherwise, where would so many lost acts come from?

He wondered how many more “lost” routines Samuel Parker knew. If that was the case, then even if his lineage was unclear, with these skills, he’d be a great asset to the inheritance of crosstalk, and Benjamin Reed was determined to befriend him.

As for Samuel Parker’s abilities, he was even more impressed—his skills were solid, and his style was authentic!

Crosstalk performers often update their jokes to keep up with current events and bring in new material.

But Samuel Parker’s monologue was entirely old-school, with almost no trendy bits. He relied solely on his own skills to capture the audience’s attention, control the pacing, and make people laugh.

The same routine—some people can make the audience laugh, while others only make them feel awkward. That’s the difference in personal skill.