REVIEW: In the 'Relax!' comedy flow with Russell Peters
By now, stand-up comedy fans know exactly what they’re going to get at a Russell Peters show.
The Manila stop of his “RELAX! It's Not That Serious” World Tour last April 15 at the Samsung Hall at SM Aura in BGC, Taguig was no different. Presented by Wilbros Live, the Philippines was the final stop on the Asian leg that had already gone to Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo, and Bangkok, among other cities.
The Canadian-Indian performer rose to fame in the late 1990s and early aughts. He earned his stripes touring in comedy clubs and open mics in Canada and the USA. By the late 2000s he was one of the most internationally recognizable faces from out of the stand-up community.
During that time his hard work garnered him awards, had him performing at sold-out arenas, a record-breaking seven comedy specials on streaming and DVD. He was also named Rolling Stone's “50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time” (he came in third) and was cited by Forbes Magazine as one of the highest-paid comedians in 2010.
All that means any Peters show draws a good crowd and the venue packed with Filipinos and foreigners on a sweltering April night on Holy Wednesday at the Samsung Hall was no different.
DJ Starting From Scratch played a mash-up of classic rap and hip-hop hits from the 80s and 90s while people found their seats and settled down.
Front act Adam Hunter went up on stage first, to warm up the crowd, but his routine didn’t go over too well. Frankly, his performance nosedived quite a few times, stuttering in energy and flow when he didn’t get the reaction he expected. More than half of his jokes fell flat, drawing only scattered claps and applause.
Hunter’s already a veteran of the stand-up circuit (having appeared in Last Comic Standing, Tonight Show, and Chelsea Lately and writing for Fox News’ political satire news show Gutfeld!), but that night he was continually missing the mark, hurrying his timing, and breathing heavily as if he’d just chased down too many unruly kids at his grassroots wrestling class.
In huge contrast Peters’ opened with a “Kumusta, m**fers?!”, instantly establishing the tone and energy. Peters segued to the brown faces in the crowd, giving props to the Indians in attendance who “closed the store early just to be here!”
The familiar ebb and flow was constructed from a well-established observational comedy style. Spot on ethnic and cultural points of view, impressive ear for accents (his Tagalog curses are crisp!), self-deprecating personal life anecdotes, and a clever understanding of the socio-political milieu that makes something hilarious.
No Peters show would be complete sans a fond harassment of the front row. That night there was an Indian and a black couple who, it seemed, were in the early stages of dating who got grilled robustly about their relationship’s cultural differences. Likewise, an Indian family in the same area got teased for arranged marriage and stressful parenting practices—“How come your son looks older than you?!”
Aside from interracial dating dynamics; Filipino, white Euro, and Indian accents; and West vs versus East caricatures, Peters included edgy socio-political jokes and impressions. Like how the USA is currently in turmoil and the differences between Fil-Am culture versus homegrown Filipino culture—Peters’ wife is a Fil-Am who grew up in California and was raised in a very African-American milieu (“She’s too black!”)
What's best about Peters is how quickly and astutely he adjusts his cultural registers. He does it adequately, making fun of things that are true to a specific demographic. At the same time, he’s clearly done his homework.
Local current and historical events and cultural nuances that could only have come from talking to a local make their way into his jokes. Which is how he could deliver how the Indian immigrants here are still used as Boogeymen. In the ancient days of the 1980s, Pinoy parents like mine scared children into eating veggies or sleeping early, else the “Bumbay will come get you!” Do they still use it to scare the Gen Alphas, I wonder? How about the Gen Zs?
At the same time, because Peters’ routine is now a classic vintage, all but enshrined in the comedy hall of fame, that night seemed like it wasn't much of a prepped show. As if he was already too comfy with the time spent in improv, simply engaging in banter with audience.
Last February, I attended the Anna Akana show at the same venue. Since Akana is a young up-and-coming comic her show felt fresh, like she was pushing boundaries (especially her own) and trying to take audience along with her into uncomfy therapy despite the cost of the show’s theme being much less coherent or the vibe consistently at a lofty LOL level.
Peters’ show was of course a very different flavor. To me, half of his set felt like improvisation with the audience and half a prepped routine. That is also to say that throwing and keeping that many balls up in the air is an admirably high order of flow but we've seen him in peak shape and we've seen him in worse form.
That night felt like Peters was neither. Nothing much struck me as new or innovative on his part as a comic artist. Maybe a fourth of the jokes I’d heard before in his many specials. Which isn’t to say it wasn’t overall a hell of a fun night. It still was. We came away on a kind of high that could only come from laughing too hard and too long.
Considering the Meet-And-Greet pack costs P18,000 and the nosebleed Balcony sets are at P3,500 (plus 600 if you want an aisle), I’d like a little more bang for my hardworking South East Asian buck. He could have also written and made fun of the Pinoy obsession with malls. Admittedly low-hanging fruit, but still.
The improv half just seemed lazy at times. Winging it for the sake of stretching the time. Even the ending felt hurried and the energy kept on a cliffhanger that never got resolved by a joke he was trying to tell that didn’t quite have a matured, workshopped punchline yet.
Still very much glad we went to see such a caliber of a performer live even if the comic on-stage that night wasn’t the one from the “Outsourced” or “Notorious” days. Relax, change is good even if it comes with some a-hurting.
