‘The Daily Show’ host-in-waiting Trevor Noah keeps his cool in concert performance

If Trevor Noah is feeling any early jitters about settling into Jon Stewart’s chair as the new host of the “The Daily Show,� he’s hiding it very well.

The South African comedian, who will take over for Stewart on Sept. 28, performed Tuesday at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica, delivering a confident, well-paced set that showcased his sharp, topical humor. Comedy Central hosted the event, primarily to introduce Noah to members of the Television Critics Assn., which is having its summer gathering in Beverly Hills.

Full coverage: Television Crtitics Association press tour 2015

Wearing a dark blue suit and black shirt and appearing onstage without a warmup act, Noah seemed relaxed and confident as he touched on various hot topics, including the tension between black citizens and police, the Ebola crisis and funny sounds that people make at concerts and sport events. He also showed a flair for different accents and a bit of physical comedy.

Much of his routine centered on racism, both in the U.S. and in South Africa. Although he dropped expletives and used the N-word in several instances, his delivery was much more nuanced than the edgy rants of other black comedians such as Chris Rock. He seemed genuinely amused by the friendly greetings from Southerners who would call him the N-word.

He said he was grateful for his career in standup, which had allowed him to travel to the U.S. where he learned “the charm of racism.�

The performance made no reference to the controversy that erupted in March after he was named as Stewart’s successor, when Noah came under fire for some old jokes on his Twitter account that many felt were sexist and anti-Semitic.

Noah at that time defended the tweets as being unrepresentative of his character and his “evolution as a comedian.� Comedy Central executives and Stewart reaffirmed their support.

The furor seemed to be far from the minds of the Broad Stage audience, who rewarded Noah with a rousing standing ovation at the end of his show.

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