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 Sultans of Satire tap Mideast roots for laughs; their show is coming to UCR
The Middle East may seem an unlikely place to inspire comedy these days, but seven comedians of Middle Eastern ancestry will be in Riverside on Sunday to make jokes about airport searches, head coverings and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.   “Sultans of Satire”plans
to lighten things up a bit
Comedy show will feature performers from Middle Eastern cultures You know, the funny thing about the Middle East is ... As comic premises go, following through on that line would seem to be
about as tough an assignment as there is these days. Yet nearly a dozen
comedians of Arab, Iranian, Turkish and Moroccan-Israeli heritage will
take on the challenge Saturday night at USC's Bovard Auditorium, joining
forces for "The Sultans of Satire," a showcase benefiting the
Levantine Cultural Center, which explores Middle East and Mediterranean
issues.  
Sultans of Satire promote
peace through comedy
Most people might not think there's a lot of room for humor when discussing the Middle East, but former journalist Jordan Elgrably has put together a group of Muslim, Jewish, Christian and Baha'i comedians who think otherwise. Coming to the Irvine Barclay Theatre on April 29, the Sultans of Satire
will parody their own Arabic, Persian and Turkish cultures hoping
to offer audiences a fresh and funny perspective on the Middle East
in their Laugh for Peace Comedy Benefit.  Sultans of Satire puts the laugh
in Laugh Factory
I recently went to an extremely engaging event called the Sultans of Satire
stand-up comedy show with chock full of witty comics of Middle Eastern descent.
This hilarious show is every second Thursday of the month at the Laugh Factory
in Los Angeles, which is owned by Jamie Masada who is of Iranian descent.
The show started in 2005 and is in it's 17th edition. This event is sponsored
by the Levantine Cultural Center and was created by Jordan Elgrably, one
of the founders and the artistic director of the center.   |
 Sultans 21 (1/30/2008) "Thank you. It was a great show...Mike and Peter were very funny. We had a good time, especially two of my friends who were new to stand-up comedy. Keep up the good work." —Zari Shayegh "My wife and I had a good time and we'd like to go again." —Victor Kozaski "Thank you—we all had a wonderful time. Please don't forget to let us know about the next Sultans show!" —Mike Fatorechi "It was a great evening! Enjoyed the comedians, who were quite good. I believe that comedy is a wonderful way to cross barriers (making fun of ourselves) and it creates tolerance. Keep up the good work!" —Sharon Malca "Each one had their high moments, but we liked Peter the Persian the most, then the Jordanian Catholic guy. Apologies if the rest is not that enthusiastic. Rochelle and I used to go to various comedy clubs, but two things stopped us. We saw Robin Williams, and he was so much better than the others, that they became hard to watch. Plus, the jokes about sex, drugs, and LA got tiresome. Some of that still appears to be the case, and the vulgarity no longer seems very cutting edge or even funny to us. Maybe we are just too old for it since the crowed seemed to like it, but for us it must be 45 years since Lenny Bruce did this kind of humor and the world has moved on. "Personally, I would love to see some humor, of which there was some last night, which skewers the rich and powerful. If Groucho could do it in his movies and Raymond Chandler could do it in his detective mysteries, then I am sure good comedians can figure out how to do more of it the current period. Plus Mort Sahl (sp?) can do it with today's newspaper." —Dick Platkin "It was much better than I expected. Bravo! The comedians were good. The atmosphere was nice and friendly. Your intro was brief, funny, informative and to the point. I will certainly spread the news (I already have). Keep up the good work." — Jahan Ardalan "My friends and I really enjoyed it – everyone had a positive experience I think. We definitely liked Peter the Persian the best (as did most people there I’m guessing), and we also all felt bad that Shereen wasn’t given more time. The only thing we were unhappy about was that we were not told in advance about the two item minimum. I don’t think it would have changed anyone’s decision to come, but we felt taken by surprise by it. But overall it was a wonderful event and we were glad to come." — Ahilan Arulanantham "I was slightly disappointed by the show. There was an overload of *#@&)$(*&%)*! language, too much on sex. I needed more jokes or fun about politics, cultural differences, peace and so on. That a what makes us different from Americans and that a what I am attracted to. The last show I saw, in Irvine, was more about the culture etc..." Sabine Gemayel Sultans 17 "I absolutely loved it. I originally thought to myself, well, I know some of these people and they're super talented, but Middle Eastern stand-up? Could be redundant, which it wasn't AT ALL. Every single comic had a distinct routine. You have great info on your site...I'm wondering how you think the tide of Middle Eastern humor is headed in our post 9/11 society? What I really want to know is...do the comics ever have heated political debates amongst themselves? Comics are always the most opinionated people and rightly so. Any funny anecdotes would be great as well." — Vida Ghaffari "Overall, the show was a lot of fun. It was different than any other comedy show I know. Even though I'm not immediately of Middle Eastern descent, I felt at home. The audience felt mixed, but the same—so in that respect, I guess the show was a success! I generally like going to shows with a number of comedians, so that if one isn't terrific, you know it's not forever. It works well obviously with the theme. Max Amini stood out for me as being the act where I laughed the most. He was energetic and put his whole face and body into it...I did enjoy Elham since I don't get out to see many comediennes, and I'm always up for girl power. I liked Peter and appreciated his gig. I like when people study something (like accents/languages) and use it in their act." — Sapphira
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