Russell Paters is Canada’s biggest stand up export; he has been in the business for 20 years, and his current tour to celebrate his 20^th anniversary bought him to London’s o2 Arena.

Cheeky Comic

On Feburary  14th, I went to the much anticipated comedy gig of the year along with some friends, Russell Peters recently put his Valentines Day show at London’s O2 Arena on-sale, selling an unprecedented 10,000  tickets in one day.
I was surprised to hear that Russell Peters had sold out so quickly. After the show however, I understood why.

One of the traits I admired about Russell Peters performances was how much he improvised, anyone in his eye line was in for some serious mocking, he was incredibly witty focusing on issues such as racism, multiculturalism, stereotypes and most of all he spoke the truth, he made brash statements that most of us wouldn’t dare.  

His casual observational and satirical style meant everyone was in stitches, yet everyone could relate, although born in Canada, Russell Peters is of Indian descent, and of course had a great Asian following at the show. Peters displayed his great knowledge of stereotypes regarding Indians, Blacks, Chinese, Arabs, English, Irish and American, his impersonations and accents were amazingly spot on, he impersonated George Bush, an anonymous Indian actress, The King of Jordan, he was versatile and a delight to watch.

 One of the highlights for me was his improvisation, he asked people questions about where they were from, and had conversation which ended with the person in the audience being exposed on the two massive big screens at the Arena.  Russell combined old jokes with new, and some of his old material was still fresh and relevant today, he was vocal about current issues, politics, the difference between women and men, and spoke of interracial couples. A particular couple, a Jamaican man and a Persian woman were the targets of his jokes all night long.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show, and would recommend that people buy his latest DVD, “Red, White and Brown”.

In 2009, Russell will start his 20^th anniversary tour, which will feature not only his greatest hits ‘remixed’ and all new material. The 20^th anniversary tour will go across Canada, the US and the UK.  It’s a great feat for any professional to sustain a career in any field for 20 years but for a stand up comedian to precede for so long and not only remain successful but become bigger, it’s a credit to Russell Peter’s incredible sense of humor, delivery, style, content.  

I’ve become an even bigger fan of his since the show and I will be buying his DVD.