Your Email:

Friend's Email:

Note: (optional)

Subject:

Message: <br /><br /> If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/33233/full/33233/comics-who-come-at-you-from-three-angles/ <br /><br /> <b>Comics who come at you from three angles</b> <br /> Thursday, August 30, 2007 | by dan pine <br /><br /><p>When the curtain goes up on "A Muslim, A Mormon, and A Jew Walk into A Bar: The Comedy of Religion," Lisa Geduldig hopes audiences will laugh their socks off. Not to mention their kippahs, hijabs and holy garments.<br /><br /> The title tells all: British Muslim Shazia Mirza, Utah-born Mormon Bengt Washburn and nice Jewish lesbian Geduldig share the bill, collectively representing three pillars of religious standup comedy, at least for three nights in Berkeley, San Francisco and San Rafael, Sept. 9-11.<br /><br /> Geduldig, a popular S.F. standup comic who produces annual laugh fests like "Kung Pao Kosher Comedy" and "Funny Girlz," got the idea for the new show after seeing Washburn do his shtick last April at a Mill Valley club.<br /><br /> "I'm always on the lookout for smart comedy," she says. "[Washburn] was doing brilliant material on being a recovering Mormon and having done door-knocking and proselytizing. I told him I wanted to create a show around him."<br /><br /> Washburn includes much Mormon material in his set, all of it drawn from his devout upbringing in Utah and subsequent experiences as a missionary. He says he doesn't attend church or practice his faith these days, but that doesn't mean he isn't Mormon anymore.<br /><br /> "I just don't keep all the rules," says Washburn, who lives in Monterey with his wife and kids. "In mainstream Mormon culture, I'm not normal at all. I was an outsider to begin with, and comedy is about being that person standing outside looking in. Remove yourself from life far enough, and it's all hilarious: sex, death, all the sick stuff."<br /><br /> The show's third co-headliner, Mirza, has performed in the Bay Area frequently. Her act used to feature observations about life as a Muslim in a non-Muslim culture ("My name is Shazia Mirza; at least, that's what it says on my pilot's license"), but these days she's broadening her material.<br /><br /> "I don't talk about it anymore," she says, referring to Islam. "When I started, I spoke about it, but I was just doing what people expected me to do. It's not something I can relate to myself. In the States, the personal stuff about your life goes over better."<br /><br /> Geduldig won't be playing "We Are The World" over the clubs' P.A. systems, but she hopes the shows will help shrink the gaps between peoples and cultures, especially considering the history of prejudice against Jews, Muslims and Mormons.<br /><br /> "Religion can be as divisive as it can be unifying," she says. "The intention was to bring together people of different backgrounds and have a comedy show. There can be a palatable education factor in comedy. You can get on a soapbox or tell jokes."<br /><br /> So what about Mirza's relationship with Jews, especially considering she works in a field long dominated by Jews? In a word, it's like butter.<br /><br /> "I love Lenny Bruce," says the Muslim comic. "I studied all his work. He was more than just a comic; he was really a revolutionary. People who inspire me include Woody Allen and Joan Rivers. And I love Larry David. 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' is the most hilarious sitcom. I've worked with Jews since I've been in comedy and they've always been great to me, and supported me."<br /><br /> Washburn echoes that respect, citing Woody Allen as "one of the greatest comics who ever walked." Beyond that, he compares the prejudice Jews and Mormons have suffered, though he quickly admits Jews have it all over Mormons when it comes to tough times<br /><br /> "There was the Holocaust, dude!" he says. "We didn't go through that. You can't argue that the beginnings of Mormonism weren't absolutely crazy. So was Christianity. But those myths and stories are profound. People build their lives on them. One thing I envy about Jewish culture: You can still be Jewish and not keep any of the rules."<br /><br /> If history serves as a guide, this series of shows may be the first of an annual presentation along the lines of Geduldig's "Kung Pao" and "George Bush Farewell Party."<br /><br /> However, she may tweak the format just a tad.<br /><br /> "I think next year I'll make it 'A Jehovah's Witness, a Baptist and an Atheist Walk into a Bar.'"<br /><br /> <br><br /><br /> <b>"A Muslim, A Mormon, and A Jew Walk into A Bar: The Comedy of Religion,"</b> with Shazia Mirza, Bengt Washburn, and Lisa Geduldig, 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 9, at the Julia Morgan Center for the Arts, 2640 College Ave., Berkeley; 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10, Marin Center Showcase Theatre, 10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael; and 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, at the Victoria Theatre, 2961 16th St., S.F. Tickets: $20. Info: (415) 522-3737 or <a href="http://www.koshercomedy.com">http://www.koshercomedy.com</a>.</p>

Please enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below: