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.

Simultaneously, they will benefit the Levantine Cultural Center, which is dedicated to promoting peace among Middle Eastern cultures through the arts.

“A lot of times, these communities are very fragmented, when the truth is, they have so much in common,” said Elgrably, also the artistic director of the center. “I think the show has a leavening effect, lightening the atmosphere when we’re constantly dealing with a lot of negative news about the Middle East.”

Serving as emcee for the benefit, Lebanese-American actress Raya Meddine is out to shatter stereotypes, including that of the veiled, subservient Arab woman, and wants to encourage others to laugh at themselves while finding the commonalities that link all human beings.

“What we’re doing with Sultans of Satire is creating and promoting a peace dialogue and communication between Arabs and Jews,” said Meddine, who works in Beirut, Paris and Los Angeles. “We are trying to inject conflict with humor and empathy and compassion, because if we laugh together, we can live together.”

For freestyle Palestinian-American comic Maysoon Zayid — executive producer of the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival — the key purpose of the show is entertainment. Goodwill is just a bonus.

She describes her routine as volatile, adding that it could include political humor about the Bush administration or sordid details from her personal life.

“I’m really excited that I can demystify and humanize Arabs when I go on stage, but what I am really thinking about is making people laugh,” said Zayid, who also works on the Comedy Central Internet show, “The Watch List.” “If I can do that and also serve the purpose of being a goodwill ambassador, that’s great.”

A college lecturer as well as a stand-up comedian, Ronnie Khalil refers to the Sultans as the “United Nations of comedy” because of the show’s ability to bring together several cultures — including Moroccan, Jordanian and Egyptian — to reveal the many traits they all share.

“The show is so great because you have all these different cultures, each with their own sense of humor, and they’re breaking barriers and getting the message across that everybody can get along,” he said. “I think humor is probably one of the best ways of accomplishing that.”

In that vein, Persian comic Peter Shahriari wants to make one thing clear for people who come out to the show.

“Persians are not terrorists. We all know it’s the Arabs that are the terrorists,” he said, chuckling. “That’s a joke, of course.”

Also included in the lineup are Elham Jazab, Gulden, Noel Elgrably, Angelo Tsarouchas, Mike Batayeh and Ara Basil.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: Laugh for Peace Comedy Benefit featuring the Sultans of Satire

WHEN: 7 p.m. April 29

WHERE: The Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine

COST: $25 to $45

INFO: Go to www.levantinecenter.org. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the theater at www.thebarclay.org or by calling (949) 854-4646.

RELATED EVENT

Perceiving tensions between Muslim and Jewish students on the UCI campus, Jordan Elgrably has organized a forum for faculty and students from the Hillel Foundation and the Middle East Studies Student Initiative to discuss the possibility of peace. The round-table discussion is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Social Science Plaza on campus. For more information, call (310) 559-5544.