For the past 16 years, Russell Peters (52) has been one of the world’s most successful comedians, and also one of the best paid. World tours, Netflix specials and Peabody winners – Peters has a strong name. Personally, I was excited about his first two Netflix shows, “Outsourced” (2006) and “Red, White and Brown” (2008), and then I grew up and forgot about him. I liked the way he tactfully played with various stereotypes without resorting to cheap points, but on the rare occasions when I’ve thought about him in retrospect, I’ve mostly remembered the many parodies of various accents – and dismissed him as a “one trick- pony”. Therefore, it was very surprising that the reunion with him in Spektrum was so joyful. Enormous audience attraction Indian-born Peters may not have developed that much, purely in terms of expression. Much is still about parodying the accents of different ethnicities, but I had forgotten what a strong improviser he is and how good he is with the audience. The first 20 minutes of the performance “Act Your Age” appear almost entirely spontaneous. The jokes, which arise through improvised, uncomplicated dialogue with the audience, are mainly very strong. As if in a card trick, he leads the audience to set up his points and painstakingly selects victims from different ethnic backgrounds. The style requires tact and tone, and the result emphasizes that Peters is one of the world’s best at interacting with the audience. Routine, timing and mimicry Peters also deserves kudos for his unique timing, and he shows a talent of his own for quickly perceiving the potential in an audience member’s name, background or awkward statements. With so many years behind him, it’s not really surprising that the routine turns out to be lucky, but considering how many performances this guy does in a year, it’s pretty impressive. A poor man in the audience got hurt for admitting that his name is Rune. Thus, Peters got a free “callback” for the rest of the evening through a parodic pronunciation of the Erkenor name. ROUTINED: Indian-Canadian Russell Peters is a man of many faces, who knows how to use it to his advantage. The picture was taken when he performed in Berlin during the “Act Your Age” tour earlier in October. Photo: Frank Hoensch / Getty Images A Mr. Bean-like facial expression also contributes to a distinctive expression. This provides many free laughs, even when a joke doesn’t land as intended. Of course, you shouldn’t base your entire humor on festive body language (sorry, Jim Carrey), but as an aid, Peters uses it superbly. Well-written tirades Although Peters is good at finding humor in the audience, he naturally also has pre-written material with him. This is a man who has established himself as an accent parodist while the word “violation” had a completely different charge, and thus it is natural to fear another raging tirade against woke culture. He has also hit 50, and a common pitfall is hammering in obvious points about mobile phones and ex-wives. Peters stumbles into both offense hysteria and dawning old age, but in a far more elegant way than other comedians in the same segment. He lets loose on Generation Z, but in a well-written and well-thought-out way that primarily points inwards. Men of Peters’ age are annoyed by the generation gap, but he points out that it is his generation that has made them that way. Peters’ generation started political correctness, because their parents were so incredibly hideous. Generation Z has just taken it a step further. Such well-considered points are absolutely necessary for a 52-year-old man to yell at teenagers. Not free from cheap points It is still not completely free from flat points. We hear tired and outdated generalizations that “millennials text a lot” and that ex-wives are cruel monsters. As the pre-written bits drag on and become more and more predictable, you notice that you start to miss the interaction with the audience. And voilà: Like an atomic clock, Peters turns to the hall again, picks out a new and unsuspecting victim and lets loose. All of a sudden he’s got wind in his sails again, and the age-old observations about young people have been forgotten. Peters is simply a master at reading the room. Ebbs into nothing Unfortunately, the final part is far too long, boring and almost pointless. A completely uninteresting and far too gently explained review of the history of porn feels completely misplaced in an otherwise very good script. Here it is full of ancient and worn-out references to how men consumed porn between 1970 and 2000. Without revealing too much, I can say that jokes about masturbation can be written much more innovatively and fresher than this. This is an unfortunate end to a set that otherwise offers a comedian who disproves all fears that he has expired, and who handles sensitive and quirky humor themes with great cleverness and tact. Russell Peters’ humor anno 2022 is actually a well-preserved antique which has also had a little round with the silver cleaning cloth – so you can concentrate more on the audience work. news reviews Title: “Act Your Age” Genre: Stand-up By and with: Russell Peters Where: Oslo Spektrum Date: 17 October 2022
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Russell Peters – “Act Your Age” – Reviews and recommendations
