Sunday Times 2
Collaborative comedy
If looks could kill, Russell Peters would be dead. The first few rows directly in front of the stage are always bathed in light at the Canadian-born comedian’s shows. Long-time fans know to avoid them, but Tony from Manchester either didn’t know or didn’t care, until it was too late. Tony turned out to be the reluctant star of the ‘Almost Famous’ pit stop in Colombo – one of a handful of audience members that Peters’ chose to take a personal interest in.
As Tony swung from seemingly livid to distinctly befuddled, Peters’ displayed his undeniable skill by taking largely monosyllabic answers and turning them, spontaneously, into comedy gold that left the audience alternately roaring in mirth and cringing in sympathy; and it was a trick he repeated again and again with several people.The uneasy victim had his or her face projected on giant screens, while thousands laughed at them, or in some kinder contexts, with them. If it sounds uncomfortable, that’s because it is. For Peters’ though it’s what makes every show so unique – the comedy is not just improvised, it’s almost collaborative.
For Asian audiences, Peters’ brand of stand-up is still shockingly explicit, and whether he is mimicking masturbation (clearly one of his favourite subjects), making unabashedly racist jokes, or forcing a westerner to argue the virtues of using water vs. toilet paper in the lavatory, he is always on the verge of the utterly unacceptable. Peters allows his audience to exist in a state of horrified delight – heightened by intense relief, that they’re not the ones he’s focused on.
Russell Peters is no stranger to Sri Lanka. He’s been here twice before, and clearly audiences this time around knew what to expect – in previous shows, some guests who hadn’t read the fine print on the tickets brought very young children along or were vocal in their distaste over the sexual content of the show in its aftermath. (As Peters points out, parents who accompany their teenagers to his gigs could be said to have found a viable alternative to having the conversation about the birds and the bees – simply let Peters do the honours.)
The new material in the ‘Almost Famous’ tour has won Peters fresh acclaim. Last year alone the performer made $21 million and was ranked third by Forbes on its list of the highest-earning stand-up comedians. The new show is likely to sell more tickets because Peters returns to many of the themes his fans love best – in particular joking about his own childhood and his parents, with digressions to riff on everything from iTunes (he is emphatically not a computer man) to bathroom attendants.
In fact, the show kicks off with a little video bio, with animations that chart the trajectory of Peters’ career – with a nod to hip hop and his passion for breakdancing.He talks about his father’s work as a Federal meat inspector and how they left Calcutta for Canada in 1965. Later, we hear his father’s reaction to his son’s dream of becoming a dancer is to suggest the latter consider a job as a baggage handler in the local airport instead.
In another hilarious moment, he floats the idea for a new app, which he says should allow you to cancel an SMS you’ve already pressed ‘send’ on. He imagines he’d put it to use to stop his X-rated pictures from going to the wrong person. He speaks from bitter experience. “That’s the little boy I remember,” his mother said, after receiving a photograph he didn’t intend for her. “It must be cold where you are,” she adds.
The title of the show is a reminder that despite his financial success, Peters is still trapped beneath a glass ceiling of sorts. Despite moving to the US and selling out arena tours, he’s yet to tick off the boxes that Asian comedians like Aziz Ansari have. Critics note he’s never had his own HBO special, performed on Saturday Night Live or been invited onto Howard Stern’s radio show. While great fame seems to have eluded him, that isn’t a bad thing in itself. If nothing else, it seems to keep Peters on his toes, reliably delivering the laughs his fans have come to expect.
| Lions Club of Colombo 11th Charter Anniversary The 11th Charter Anniversary of the Lions Club of Colombo 6 Cosmopolitan was celebrated on February 13 at the Lions Activity Centre, Colombo 7 when Lions District 306A2 Governor, Lion Arjun Abeysinghe made his official visit to the Club accompanied by his wife Lady Lion Nayomi. Among those present were many members of the District Cabinet including the Immediate Past District Governor, Lion Asanga Samarasekera, Past District Governor, Lion Neil Seneviratne, First Vice District Governor, Lion Dr. Nandana Kaluarachchi, Second Vice District Governor, Lion Dr. Athula Hikkaduwa and spouse Lion Lady Dr. Dhamayanthi, Cabinet Secretary, Lion Widyakeerthi Dissanayake, Region1 Chairman, Lion Kumudu Kitsiri along with Zona1 Chairman Lion Shiran Fernando and Zone 2 Chairman, Lion Farid Abdelcader of the host Club. A Spanish dance and skit were performed by the Charter Chairperson, Lion Ashok Chatterjee and Lion Hasanthi Gunasekera supported and choreographed by Lion Dr. Shan Perera to the delight of the audience. |
