Jews and Muslims have not historically seen eye to eye, to put it mildly. But Dollard des Ormeaux comedian Eman thinks they just might have something in common: they’re both bored when the Christian holiday season comes around. To help Jews and Muslims cope with boredom, Eman and a Jewish friend of hers are going to be putting on a comedy show on Dec. 23 at the Gesu Theatre, downtown Montreal.
There will be seven performers, four Jews and three Muslims. The original idea for the show was to have Jews and Muslims reunite over the fact that they do not celebrate Christmas.
“In Montreal, Muslims and Jews get along on a daily-basis and one thing they have in common is that they both don’t celebrate Christmas. So I thought, why not give them something to do together? Instead of having them always argue and look like they don’t get along, they could sit under one roof and laugh,” said Eman.
Jeff Schouela, one of the Jewish performers that will hit the stage of the Gesu come December 23, feels the show comes with perfect timing.
“It’s the time of the year when Jews and Muslims don’t have anything to do because everything is closed. Every year, you have to go to a Chinese restaurant or go to the movies but this year we are providing another option. You also have to think that this is a period when the weather is usually awful, adults are very stressed out, people are very aggressive on the road and on the sidewalk. It’s a good idea to put some laughter in the mix,”said Schouela.
The seven acts will touch on various subjects. Of course, religion will be one of the major topics. However, Christians and people of other religions should expect to have a good laugh too.
“I’m Jewish, so it’s important for me to have Jewish material. But on the other hand, it’s hard to not talk about the city and when it’s minus 20 outside, it’s hard to ignore that as well. Most of the comedians will be touching on religion because that’s part of who they are but I would guess that at least 60 per cent would not be about that,” he said.
“My act consists of personal experiences. Everything that I say in my act is true. All of the comedians on this show will be talking about our personal experiences as Muslims and Jews in Montreal.
At first glance, a comedy show with Jews and Muslims may seem like a recipe for hate. But Eman says making fun of the ‘other’ religion will not take a major place enough in the show to cause any ruckus.
“I don’t think anybody will be offended by our jokes. We will mostly talk about our personal experiences so maybe there will be subtle shots about the wars and stuff like that but none of us has the intention of going out there and offending the ‘other side’. Plus, people in Montreal have a fantastic sense of humour. I don’t feel like people get offended easily. I think that if you don’t have the intention to offend, I feel like everybody will enjoy what you’re doing and that’s what we intend to do,” she said.
The address of the venue is 1200, Bleury Ave., just a little south of Ste. Catherine West. The show begins at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 ($15 for students with a valid ID). To purchase one, call: 514-861-4036 or visit www.legesu.com.
