Russell Peter’s – Red, White & Brown

Suddenly, this unknown Canadian-Indian became a web sensation overnight; your friends and co-workers would quote his every line, mere mention of the names !Xobile and Tap Sum Bong would send you in a fit of giggles and you biggest threat-call became “Somebody’s gonna hurt a-real bad!”. Peter’s gave us a reason to look at our racial stereotypes in a more entertaining and less radical light. While most international comedians always played it safe by border lining on the race card, Russell Peter’s played an almost remarkable balancing act and related to a new generation of young Asian’s around the world.

Evidently, being a huge fan of Russell, I was excited to hear of the release of his latest DVD – “Red, White and Brown” recorded live at the WAMU Theatre in Madison Square Garden. The 78-Minute disc boasted all-new material which was promising considering that one of the major complaints by his critics was the repeated use of the same material (a similar plight shared by many of today’s stand-up comedians unfortunately), so with my fingers crossed – I prepared myself for over an hour of laughter, however after the final credits of the DVD started rolling, I realized that the entire performance and the material – was nothing short of a major let down.

As one of the world’s leading stand-up comedians of our time, there’s a certain quality that comes with the designation. Peter’s has never had a problem with presentation – but when the quality of the routine presented is nothing short of 3rd grade dingy-comedy-club material, even the best presentation will not do it any justice and so in lies the case of this disappointing DVD.
Instead of his usual quirky observations on Asian cultures, hilarious accents and audience interactions – Peter’s has replaced his winning formula with an overdose of crude and often degrading sexual jokes, toilet humor (literally) and taunting audience members – don’t get me wrong, I think it’s acceptable to push the envelope a little in terms of censorship when it comes to a live show but there is a limit – and unfortunately Peter’s has trampled all over it in his latest release.

Could the rise to fame have anything to do with Peter’s lack of interesting material? Hopefully he isn’t just banking on his name to sell out shows. I’m not giving up hope on Peter’s just yet however – preferring instead to erase this disastrous performance from my memory. There are many reason’s why Peter’s will be remembered years from today as one of the greatest Indian stand-up comedian’s – “Red, White and Brown” sadly isn’t one of them.