Copyright Star Tribune
Ronny Chieng and Hasan Minhaj sharing a stage is catnip to “Daily Show” fans. But the “Hasan Hates Ronny/Ronny Hates Hasan” tour, which stopped at the Orpheum Theatre on Saturday, was tailored more to immigrants ready to laugh about — and celebrate — stereotypes about their heritage. For the record, the two comics don’t really despise each other. Their feud is as artificial as the one between Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel. But the pair, both dressed liked they were about to give a PowerPoint presentation, leaned into the fake fight from the start, circling each other like sumo wrestlers, knocking down microphone stands, throwing shoes and delivering verbal low blows. Chieng, 39, brought up the New Yorker article that exposed Minhaj, 40, for fibbing in his routines, a story that took him out of the running to become the permanent “Daily Show” host. Minhaj made fun of his opponent’s height. But the bulk of the 80-minute show was focused on a debate over who was better: South Asians or all other Asians. They took questions from an AI referee, represented by an ominous globe, on who was superior in a variety of areas including sports, food, business and politics. About 50 audience members were invited to sit on stage bleachers, as if they’d end up serving as judges, but they didn’t end up playing much of a factor. Chieng scored when he pointed out that India has only won a single event (the javelin throw) at the last three Summer Olympics. “The Vikings are more likely to win the Super Bowl than India is to win a gold medal,” Chieng said. Minhaj’s best moment came when he explained why Desis run so many Fortune 500 companies. Moving up the corporate ladder is easy compared to public transportation in India. “Try getting on the train in New Delhi,” he said. But the afternoon showdown wasn’t really a race war. Most of the material was designed to salute the accomplishments of all immigrants. There was barely any mention of President Donald Trump or ICE. Instead, you were constantly reminded how Asian Americans were making strides in everything from academia to dating. The theme set was expanded upon by opening act Biniam Bizuneh, an amiable California comic with Ethiopian roots. He joked about how his high school coach pressured him into joining the cross-country team, assuming he’d excel simply because of his race. The punchline: Bizuneh turned out to be so good at the sport that he earned a full-ride college scholarship. Chieng, born into a Malaysian Chinese family, and Minhaj, who was raised by Indian Muslim parents in California, weren’t actually interested in tearing each other down. The ultimate goal was to coax fellow immigrants into rejoicing over their accomplishments and embracing the more positive stereotypes. Maybe the tour should be renamed, “Ronny and Hasan Love Everyone.”
