“Ripe material for a comedy,” chuckles Atra Asdou, writer and star of ‘Iraq, but Funny” now playing at Lookingglass Theatre. Asdou’s new madcap play is part comedy, part history, part family drama. Directed by Dalia Ashurina, this hard-to-define play feels like the kind of thing we absolutely need more of.
If laughter is said to be the best medicine, then it’s surely a good thing for casual educational experiences too. In under three hours, Asdou (in character as a Bugs Bunny-ish British colonizer) provides the entire history of European imperialism in the Middle East–from the perspective of the victor, as most histories are told. The colonizer, or “Actor 5”, condenses decades of complex conflict into a darkly humorous sketch comedy. The play is balanced with vignettes from a multi-generational family riding the wave of current events that ultimately lead them to 1990s Chicago.
History is more likely to repeat itself if nobody knows the history in the first place. “Iraq, but Funny” seeks to inform a mostly Western audience about how Middle Eastern land and culture have been divided and conquered for centuries by exploitative forces. Asdou’s morally slippery character relays a shocking and brutal narrative with such wry humor that you nearly forget very little has changed in the way the West engages with the rest of the world. What’s even more seductive yet is how much fun her character is to watch. Asdou’s Second City background is on full display.
Susaan Jamshidi plays the matriarch character, “Actor 1” and in every era, life is constantly shifting under their feet. She impresses on her daughter, “Actor 2” (Gloria Imseih Petrelli) that their lives are for the next generation. The central relationship between mother and daughter illustrates the real-life effects of colonialism and the people’s lives it shapes. Both actresses deliver powerful performances as they bring to life a century of family members.
Omid Akbari whisks the audience around the world with his minimal, but highly effective set in the historic Water Tower Water Works theater. Costumes by Mara Blumenfeld are also a huge asset for the comedic set-ups, particularly the Uncle Sam get-up Asdou sports at one point.
Lookingglass Theatre’s production of “Iraq, but Funny” belongs among the likes of Cole Escola’s “Oh, Mary!”. The dense and intellectual script along with Asdou’s sidesplitting comedic performance are a special blend you don’t often see. The kind of play that makes you wonder, “how did they come up with this?” Though, there’s an immediacy to this play that can’t be ignored. While it’s written as satire, it’s the kind of thing that’s so tragic if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. This is a play about empathy. What Asdou has effectively done is what SNL does every week, amuse and inform. In comedy, we find our humanity. And with ‘Iraq, but Funny”, Asdou succinctly relays an ugly past, with enough levity to challenge preconceived notions about world history.
Through July 20 at Lookingglass Theatre. 163 E Pearson St. 312-337-0665
