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Red White and Brown

Russell Peters

Showtime · 2008 · 57 min

A Canadian comic roasts global cultures for a diverse arena crowd.

Watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Russell Peters built a touring empire by realizing that the global immigrant diaspora wanted to be made fun of. On stage, he points to different ethnic groups in the crowd, drops into an exaggerated accent, and delivers culturally specific roasts. It works because the audience is in on the joke, showing up to hear their own backgrounds name-checked and playfully targeted. He has no interest in high-minded sociology; he just wants to argue about which race is the cheapest and do crowd work with the front rows.

Filmed in February 2008 at the WAMU Theater at Madison Square Garden, Red, White and Brown captures Peters at a commercial peak. He was selling out arenas worldwide despite having relatively little mainstream television exposure at the time. The set relies heavily on his signature mimicry and physical bits, including a realization that he felt entirely Canadian rather than Indian upon visiting the subcontinent. Other segments cover the World Cup, the mechanics of Dance Dance Revolution, and the realities of body hair. It is a crude, highly effective routine tailored for an audience that mainstream stand-up traditionally ignored.

The set list

7 bits

  1. Visiting India and the distinction between race and culture

    Relates entering the country with Indian pride but instantly turning Canadian upon encountering the smells off the plane, accompanied by physical comedy about using a cup in the bathroom.

  2. Which ethnic groups are the cheapest

    Ranks different ethnicities on thriftiness, maintaining that Indians are the cheapest and keeping Jews in third place so they don't feel like they lost everything.

  3. Genital size and world population

    Argues that smaller penis size drives higher reproduction rates to protect pride, pointing to the largest populations in the world.

  4. U.S. invasion of Iraq

    Uses a lateral comparison framing the invasion as an everyday street brawl.

  5. Deaf people and sign language

    Draws on his high school experiences at a trade school in Brampton to observe the racism within sign language.

  6. Audience bathroom break

    Singles out a woman walking out for a washroom break and makes fart noises as she squeezes past, picking the bit back up when she returns.

  7. Dance Dance Revolution

    Mocks Asians' intense affinity for Dance Dance Revolution.

How it plays

Tone
Edgy, irreverent, raunchy, and playful.
On stage
Audacious, swaggering yet ultra-likeable and disarming stage presence, relying on jovial knockabout banter and self-reflexive humor.
Pace
Confident and free-flowing delivery that feeds off the audience, occasionally lingering on extended bits or crowd exchanges.
About
Racial and ethnic stereotypes, Multiculturalism and culture clashes, Race versus culture, Travels to India, Media culpability in stereotyping, Genital size and body hair insecurities

What the critics said

Generally received as an entertaining showcase of Peters' flawless delivery, likability, and talent for impersonating diverse accents to unite a multiethnic crowd, though several reviewers noted instances of hackneyed stereotypes, crude bathroom humor, and pacing that occasionally lingered too long.

In the room: A packed, sold-out, and remarkably diverse audience roaring and weeping with laughter, whooping as Peters called out and mocked their backgrounds.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, themoviedb.org, letterboxd.com, nowtoronto.com, chortle.co.uk, popmatters.com, v13.net, theglobeandmail.com.

Backstory

Independently produced and financed by Russell and his manager/brother Clayton Peters following an unhappy experience with his previous special Outsourced. Followed his 2007 tour as the first North American comedian to tour India, as well as USO tours in 2007.

Details

Released
Taped
WAMU Theatre at Madison Square Garden, New York City
Runtime
57 min
Where
Showtime
Director
Jigar Talati
Honors
Debuted at #3 on the Canadian Albums Chart
Topics
Before
Outsourced (2006)
After
The Green Card Tour (2011)

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