Photo: SophieK Entertainment
Sohrab Forouzesh
Sohrab Forouzesh
Sohrab Forouzesh loves his fellow people of Iranian descent. But by his own admission, he may not be the best candidate to be a role model.
“I definitely don't think I should be used as a beacon for the Persian people,” Foouzesh concedes, “considering I have a joke about accidentally smoking crack.” To get a better understanding of folks sharing his background, he suggests, “Take a trip to Los Angeles, and visit Beverly Hills. It's full of Persians.”
Doubtless none of the Persians in California possess Forouzesh's unique gift for comedy, however. The Chicago-based comic will be sharing it on Thursday, Sept. 21 in his portion of the latest installment of Charlie and John Berens' Berens Brothers Comedy Hour monthly residency at The Laughing Tap for a 7:30 p.m. show. Forouzesh is scheduled to share the stage with Milwaukee's own Chastity Washington.
“I don't really get any flak," Forouzesh shares regarding U.S. relations with the land he left after his parents' divorce when he was a kid. “I'm thrilled to announce that most of the interactions I've had with people about my background throughout the years have been pleasant.” Of his occasional encounter with invariably ignorant racists, he admits, “I honestly just think it's a funny topic. I enjoy joking around about it because I think it's funny.”
Cultural Idiosyncracies
As for what amuses hm about his own cultural idiosyncrasies, Forouzesh mentions, “I talk with my hands, it's a thing most Persians are associated with. So are Italians, and Greeks. I'm fascinated by stuff like that.”
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His fascination with folkways extends to those in the Midwestern U.S. where Forouzesh now resides. And that interest has made him an aficionado of and friend to the siblings hosting the showcase he will be playing at the Tap.
“I'm a huuuuuuuuuuge Charlie Berens fan. Wisconsin culture is adorable and I love his take on it,” Forouzesh says. Of the Comedy Hour's other co-host, he offers, “John is the nicest man I've ever met. I mean that. It's not hyperbole. He's a bona fide sweetheart and a very talented performer.”
Though Forouzesh will be working with comedians he admires at The Laughing Tap, it was collegiate peers who helped him realize that comedy is his calling. “I was obsessed with comedy when I was a kid, but I had no idea how to explore it. When I got to Western Michigan University, I met other kids who had the same interest and they taught me how to develop the craft, and how to look for opportunities to perform. I also had a lot of fun in college, which was a great environment to learn stand up. I also learned a lot; I had fantastic creative writing professors who taught me the bare bones of writing.”
Forouzesh exudes a brash personality in his act, but there's one topic about which he won't make light. “I try to avoid anything that has to do with people's health. I have not found a way to make dark material like that work. I'm not saying it should be off limits for every comedian, but I personally don't have much material about illness and death.” That caveat doesn't exclude him from making himself the butt of jokes about his own sizeable girth. “I hate to give away a trade secret,” he confesses, “but making fun of yourself as a fat guy is one of the easiest ways to make someone laugh. I don't know why, I'm not a psychologist. It's just what I know.”
What else Forouzesh knows is that, regardless his prejudices, “Even your racist uncle will like me!”
Here Forouzesh is being likeable in Chicago in a tight five minutes wherein he plumbs the irresistible nature of white people as a source of jokes, a couple of cliche's about Middle Easterners, and the trouble with falling asleep on an airplane after breast feeding (not that Forouzesh did so ...):
