It's a FUNNY world after all
By Nick Rabinowitsh
Oct. 28, 2002 9:00 p.m.
When America’s comedy becomes too homogenous, it’s
time to bring in a specialized international task force to overhaul
the situation.
The self-proclaimed Ambassadors of Comedy, consisting of
comedians from Vietnam, Bangladesh, Iran, the Virgin Islands and
the Phillipines, will convene at the Cooperage tonight from 7-9
p.m. to bring a world of humor to UCLA.
“It’s just cool that regardless of race, we’re
all performing together and making people laugh,” said
comedian Dat Phan, who performs as Mr. Vietnam.
Jeff Hodge, the Virgin Islands native and the Ambassadors’
founder/master of ceremonies, describes the show as “the
Kings of Comedy with accents.”
But while one of the aims of the show is to bring to Americans a
greater worldview of humor, Hodge explained that America is the
only place in which people from all over can come together and make
fun of anything and everything.
“America is probably the best country to live in, at least
in terms of personal freedom,” Hodge said. “I have
comics from Iraq, and they can’t just make a routine in their
home country. America is one of the few countries where you can do
this, and make money while you’re at it.”
While the United States provides opportunities
for comics, Hodge had the vision for the group because he saw a
lack of foreign flavor on the American comedy scene.
“I had never seen a show where they had three foreigners
on the same bill,” Hodge said. “Being a foreigner, I
thought it’d be interesting if there was a show like
that.”
It wasn’t until after Hodge moved from Texas to the
melting pot of Los Angeles that he could complete his vision.
“There just wasn’t a whole lot of diversity to draw
from in Texas,” said Hodge. “I knew that when I moved
to L.A., I would be exposed to lots of new foreign
cultures.”
Since the Ambassadors of Comedy’s start in 1996, it has
become a traveling group with a foreign flavor, but also tries to
include other foreign comedians from all over the United
States.
“When we tour, it’s usually about four of us, but I
did a show in Texas with two other (comedians), since there are
foreign comedians all over. I pull guys from other places,”
Hodge said.
Now, Hodge is working on finishing up a degree at Cal State
Northridge, so his schooling limits the mobility of the show
somewhat. Most of the show’s touring happens in California,
but shows in Germany are on the agenda – as long as the United
States doesn’t start a war with Iraq, Hodge said.
While the Ambassadors have world humor on their minds, they also
focus on world issues. For example, the show has been raising money
for the fight against AIDS.
“I think it’s pretty cool that (fund-raising) is a
global effort where comics from all over the world come together to
fight AIDS,” Phan said.
On a college campus, where students can go for weeks without
leaving a one-mile radius, Hodge likes to see the show as a new
form of “travel-tainment.”
“Each comic brings a different flavor to the show,”
Hodge said. “I’ve never been to Bangladesh, but
it’s kind of like hey, I can take a vacation without leaving
the room.”
