Three Arab-American stand-up comedians are bringing the jokes back home. The Axis of Evil Comedy Tour kicked off last week in the Middle East starting with Abu Dhabi, and Amman. The tour is scheduled to make a stop in Cairo on Nov. 20 and Nov. 21 before carrying on to Beirut and Dubai.
The Axis of Evil Comedy Show is an ongoing comedy tour that started in 2005 in Washington DC. Initially dubbed “Arabian Knights, the show features Egyptian-American Ahmed Ahmed, Palestinian-American Aaron Kader and Iranian-American Maz Jobrani, on whose account the name was changed to “Axis of Evil because he is “Persian – a punch line he is known for.
The group was brought together seven years ago by Mitzi Shore (mother of comedian Pauly Shore) whom they nicknamed Yoda as an ode to the famous “Star Wars character.
You can even find humor in the name they chose for themselves, which is a stab at President George Bush’s labeling of Iran, Iraq and North Korea as the “Axis of Evil after 9/11. “We’re still looking for a North Korean, we’re holding auditions if you know any, jokes Ahmed in one of his acts.
Since the beginning of the tour, they have been performing to sold out shows in theaters in DC, San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles.
The show has been praised for adding a humorous spin on serious political and social events in the Middle East as well as breaking stereotypes haunting Arabs in the West that have surfaced post-9/11. “Just once I wish they would show us doing something good, like baking a cookie or something, jokes Jobrani.
For the first time in Egypt, the Axis of Evil are performing two shows on Nov. 20 in El Sawy Culture Wheel in Zamalek and another two on Nov. 21 in El Sawy Culture Wheel New Generation. Be sure to get your ticket, they’re selling out fast!
