Coming Out To Dead People
Directed by Ryan Cunningham
About the show
A comedy solo show based on the time when comedian Ricky Sim was grappling with the decision to come out to his Chinese-Malaysian immigrant mother, just as she was diagnosed with terminal cancer – talk about good timing!
Blending stand-up and storytelling, "Coming Out to Dead People" is a chaotic comedy about comedian Ricky growing up as a gaysian in the noughties, learning how to keep his first boyfriend with the help of the rapper Sean Paul, while navigating the complexity of coming out while facing impending loss
The show explores the complexity of coming out when it intersects with immigrant and cultural identities and facing impending loss, forces Ricky to reconcile to question the meanings of grief, family love, and acceptance.
“I cried for the last 10 minutes. I also laughed through the first half… a wonderfully moving story”
- Anna Nolan (Head of Development at COCO Content, Big Brother UK)
About Ricky
“Ricky Sim is just another lawyer-turned-comedian-hack…but gay.”
— Fellow NYC comedians
Ricky is an NYC-based comedian originally from Malaysia. As a stand-up, he has performed at various venues in NYC, LA, Toronto, and Kuala Lumpur, including Laugh Factory, Carolines on Broadway, Broadway Comedy Club, Caveat, and Comedy Cellar.
He opened for Julia Scotti (America’s Got Talent) and Marcia Belsky (Comedy Central). He performed at the New York Comedy Festival, New York Queer Comedy Festival, and Asian Comedy Festival.
As a comedy writer, Ricky was selected to be the 2021 recipient of The PIT/Saturday Night Live (SNL) Scholarship, which is co-sponsored by Saturday Night Live. With the comedy pilot that he co-wrote, he was selected as the 2023 Fellow of the Yes And…Laughter Lab, which is a competitive incubation lab, pitch program, and showcase that lifts up the best comedy writers and performers who create new comedy about topics that matter, with a focus on BIPOC, immigrant, Muslim, LGBTQ, and female talent. He was selected to perform at the Moth Mainstage in April 2025.
You can find him on IG @ rickeerick
”The Ultimate List Of LGBTQ Shows At Edinburgh Fringe 2023”
Forbes
2025 the moth mainstage nyc
2024 Off-West End OffFest Finalist
Press
”Coming Out to Dead People is a raunchy and darkly comic wonder. Ricky Sim deserves the world of praise for this one”
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”The performance’s impact is undeniable, marked by a standing ovation—an exceptional occurrence at the Fringe.”
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The Interrobang Mag
”[A] great addition to shows that explore Asian identity, shows that really do deserve representation in mainstream media...Complexities between race, culture and sexuality are expertly explored alongside feelings and experiences relating to loss and grief, love and family.”
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Theatre & Tonic
“Ricky Sim is a gifted storyteller... He also tells a lot of dick jokes.”
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North West End UK
”The show ends on an incredibly moving note with Sim transcending a simple comic routine and creating a genuine connection with many in the audience through his openness and cathartic expression”
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The Wee Review
“[A] beautifully heartbreaking show that does a wonderful job of toeing the line between grief and humour, giving Sim the chance to make the audience laugh and cry within an hour.”
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Broadway World
”A story that is a must-see this Fringe and, after 13 years of attending the festival, it's safe to say that those words do not come out of my laptop-fatigued fingers very often.”
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Somewhere For Us
”One of the most beautiful, delicate moments I’ve ever seen at the fringe.”
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Neurodiverse Review
”The comic delivers an intimate performance, so heartfelt and sincere it barely feels like a show at all, building to an emotional final scene that packs a punch”.
Steve Bennette, Chortle
Coming Out to dead People -performance history
Coming Out to Dead People debuted in February 2023, with its first show at a karaoke room in a NY Chinatown restaurant basement.
Ever since then, it has been performed in various venues in New York City, including Off-Broadway Theaters (Soho Playhouse, 59E59 Theater), with multiple sold-out shows. In the summer of 2023, the show debuted in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Just the Tonic comedy club. It received critical acclaims and multiple sold-out engagements. Following the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the show was performed in a queer-inclusive/safe space in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The show was nominated and selected as one of the 2024 Off-West End (The Offies) OffFest Finalists. Following the success in Edinburgh Fringe, London’s Off-West End theatre Soho Theatre invited the show to perform in early 2024 and it was sold out and was offered to perform at the Assembly Fringe for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe of 2024
UPCOMING TOUR DATES
AUSTIN, TX @ COLDTOWNE THEATER GET TICKETS
MAY 16 - 17, 2025
LOS ANGELES, CA @ ELYSIAN THEATER GET TICKETS
May 31st, 2025CHICAGO, IL @ ANNOYANCE THEATER GET TICKETS
JUNE 16th, 2025NEW YORK CITY, NY @ JOE’S PUB GET TICKETS
JULY 18th, 2025
Past Performance
The Moth Mainstage @ The Symphony Space GET TICKETS
April 24th, 2025
Upright Citizen Brigade GET TICKETS
December 2nd, 2024Assembly (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) GET TICKETS
July 31st - Aug 12th, 2024
London Off-West End Soho Theatre GET TICKETS
Jan 22nd - JAn 24th, 2024Caveat GET TICKETS
December 30th, 2023 / Jan 10th, 2024Just the Tonic (Edinburgh Festival Fringe) GET TICKETS
Aug 3rd - 28th, 2023
||ABOUT RICKY||
“Ricky Sim is just another lawyer-turned-comedian-hack…but gay.”
— Fellow NYC comedians
Ricky is an NYC-based comedian originally from Malaysia. As a stand-up, he has
performed at various venues in NYC, LA, Toronto, and Kuala Lumpur, including Laugh Factory, Carolines on Broadway, Broadway Comedy Club, Caveat, and Comedy Cellar.
He opened for Julia Scotti (America’s Got Talent) and
Marcia Belsky (Comedy Central). He performed at the New York Comedy Festival, New York Queer Comedy Festival, and Asian Comedy Festival.
As a comedy writer, Ricky was selected to be the 2021 recipient of The PIT/Saturday Night
Live (SNL) Scholarship, which is co-sponsored by Saturday Night Live. With the comedy
pilot that he co-wrote, he was selected as the 2023 Fellow of the Yes
And…Laughter Lab, which is a competitive incubation lab, pitch program, and showcase that
lifts up the best comedy writers and performers who create new comedy about topics
that matter, with a focus on BIPOC, immigrant, Muslim, LGBTQ, and female talent
.He has trained at UCB, The PIT,
Magnet Theater, and Squirrel Comedy studying improv, character, and sketch.
You can find him on IG @ rickeerick