Review: Russell Peters shows why he’s a global superstar during Treasure Island Casino show

If you’re ever stuck on a geography quiz, call Russell Peters. The trailblazing comic showed off his expertise at both humor and world culture Friday at Treasure Island Casino, playing to a more diverse audience than you usually see at a Minnesota comedy show.

Peters, the first comedian to headline a major Netflix special, burst onto the scene by focusing on being raised by a strict Indian father in Canada, a R-rated version of Bill Cosby’s classic routines.

But his current tour, titled “Relax: It’s Not That Serious,” broadens his target by engaging with fans lucky -- or unfortunate -- enough to sit near the front of the stage.

The best moments of the 70-minute set was when he sought out people of color, improvising bits that showed off his variety of accents and a deep knowledge of a world beyond our borders.

When riffing with an audience member with Malaysian roots, he not only knew that the country uses ringgets as currency, but what it’s worth in American dollars. He asked a Native American couple, both sporting long hair, just how much shampoo they go through at home. He engaged with folks from Boreno, Guyana and Pakistan as if he was hosting a United Nations tea party.

Some of the material sounded dangerously close to cheap insults, like when he explained how he landed his Filipino wife with a coupon and how he wants to launch an Indian dating app called “Connect the Dots.”

“I’m the captain now,” he quipped after discovering a Somali in the crowd.

But Peters, 54, has been doing this long enough to avoid stepping over the line. His disarming smile and good-natured delivery let him get away with jokes that might otherwise lead to a bar fight.

“I don’t look at you like an audience,” he said. “I look at us like friends hanging out.”

His style stood in sharp contrast to opening act Adam Hunter, who practically dared the audience to gasp at his rapid-fire insults. After one shocker, an audience member reminded Hunter that he was in Minnesota, perhaps hoping that the comedian would realize we weren’t used to politically incorrect humor. The comedian, a regular on Fox News’ “Gutfeld,” didn’t seem to care. Neither did those who think “woke” is a dirty word.

Peters told the Star Tribune in September that he was just beginning to put together his latest act and that it would be ready by the time he got here. It wasn’t.

Prepared material about the sex lives of older men, the Christian right and his daughter’s sexual orientation all seemed like works in progress. The fact that he wrapped up another world tour less than a year ago may explain why the new stuff isn’t quite there yet.

But Peters’ ability to charm audiences with off-the-cuff conversations made the performance worth the price of admission, a reminder in this post-election period that we can poke fun at one another, as long as our hearts are in the right places.