Profit exhibits might be slogs. However All for Armenia, a comedy present on Friday, Nov. third on the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theater, was something however. It managed to boost cash for a significant trigger whereas additionally being very, very humorous.
The present was hosted by comic and grasp impressionist James Adomian, who together with producers Sam Varela of Bare Comedy, Chris Tcholakian of the The whole lot Now Present and stand-up Armond Gorjian, put collectively a stellar lineup of comics and character performers, jammed into two hours.
All proceeds for the present went to All for Armenia, a nonprofit that gives humanitarian assist to the estimated 100,000 Armenians displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh area, often known as Artsakh, after being pushed out by neighboring Azerbaijan. All informed, the present raised over $1,700.
Adomian kicked off his internet hosting duties with a brief set that included his best-in-the-biz Bernie Sanders impression and musings about his (one-quarter) Armenian-ness.
There wasn’t a dud in this system that adopted, with stand-ups Aparna Nancherla, Nate Craig, Chris Estrada, Alice Wetterlund, River Butcher and character performer Alyssa Limperis all bringing their A-game, with punchy units that delivered the products.
The charming comedian Mary Basmadjian gave us a gut-busting look into the trials of courting as an Armenian girl. Man Branum didn’t draw back from the subject at hand in a brilliantly darkish set that tackled, amongst different issues, the recognition of genocide.
Actor and LA radio legend Phil Hendrie additionally carried out in character, and in a second of nostalgia for the LA speak radio trustworthy, gave us a spot-on Tom Leykis impression. Leykis, the shock jock from the 90s and aughts, infamously tweeted, “Angelenos don’t give a SHIT about Armenia” — a sentiment shortly debunked for those who speak to anybody from LA.
Lory Tatoulian was a showstopper, reprising her character Sossi Hayrabedian, a Ross Gown for Much less-clad Armenian operating for president, who harangued the gang and left us in tears. And Reggie Watts closed out the evening along with his signature weird observational stylings.
Lory Tatoulian as Sossi Hayrabedian, mid-harangue. Photograph: Josh Goldner.
We talked with Adomian afterwards about what it meant to provide a present benefitting the Armenian trigger.
“We’re seeing all this unhealthy information within the final two months, and within the final three years, from Armenia and Artsakh — the ethnic cleaning that occurred, the massacres, the torture, by the hands of Azerbaijan,” Adomian informed us. “And folks don’t know what to do in addition to retweet one thing or like an Instagram submit. So it was very nice to present individuals an opportunity to assist instantly with the refugees from Artsakh.”
It’s been a grim few years for the Armenian neighborhood globally and domestically — LA County is dwelling to the biggest focus of Armenians outdoors of Armenia.
Nagorno-Karabakh, a area of disputed territorial declare, has been de-facto ruled by ethnic Armenians because the unbiased Republic of Artsakh following a 1994 conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Armenians have been residing there 1000’s of years and made up a big majority of its inhabitants.
In 2020, the neighboring oil-rich and authoritarian Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, launched an offensive that took efficient management of the area. Within the ensuing years, they blockaded the area and terrorized Armenians residing there with documented accounts of torture.
Then in September of this 12 months, Azerbaijan totally invaded Artsakh and ethnically cleansed it of its Armenian inhabitants, forcing an estimated 100,000 its Armenians to flee to Armenia — an enormous quantity contemplating Armenia has a inhabitants below 3 million — leading to a humanitarian disaster.
The occasions are a stark parallel to the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by Turkey, which began in 1915 and resulted within the killing of over 1 million Armenians, primarily by means of dying marches. Each Turkey and Azerbaijan deny the Armenian Genocide.
However you’d be loath to seek out any of this in newspaper headlines or on cable. With wars in Ukraine, Africa, and now, the Center East, there was little to no protection of Armenia’s turmoil in our media.
“There’s subsequent to zero information protection outdoors of like KTLA domestically,” Adomian explains. “The State Division has a shameful coverage of simply enjoying either side. And so the Armenians have been very depressed worldwide, feeling like there’s no help from any quarter — ganged up on by Turkey and Azerbaijan and Russia collectively, and the USA and Canada doing nothing.”
“However then you definately understand on the road, among the many actual individuals, wherever there are, individuals love them and like them and need to help them. So we don’t have loads of help on the highest ranges of media, state departments and different international ministries and different nations, however we do have loads of help with actual individuals.”
Adomian thanked the UCB Theatre the place he has carried out because it opened in 2005. “When the ethnic cleaning began, they had been very, very accommodating, after which the dialog began instantly about doing a fundraiser there.”
For a profit with such a bleak backdrop, it felt good to chuckle. And it positively helped that the present was stacked with comedians who can do what comedians do greatest — make mild in darkness.
“It was a bit of bit emotional for me as a result of it was the primary time I bought to see firsthand — not simply on the web, however in individual — individuals come out who weren’t Armenian to help the Armenians in a time of nice tragedy and disaster,” Adomian mirrored. “And I used to be type of amazed that no person was afraid to chuckle and have a very good time. It was a enjoyable evening.”
Photograph: Josh Goldner
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