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Comedian Dan Ahdoot a hit at SBC
By: Kathryn Johnstone ‘10
STAFF WRITER

Comedian Dan Ahdoot performed at Sweet Briar on Monday, January 22nd, for a very enthusiastic, standing-room-only audience. Ahdoot, whose stop in Amherst came midway through his tour of Virginia colleges, delighted the crowd of students who had pried themselves from their textbooks to laugh away their problems and stress.

“He did a really nice job,” said Campus Events Organization (CEO) member Michelle Demere ('08), one of the students responsible for the show. “He interacted with the crowd well.”

It was evident that, in addition to his usual routine, Ahdoot customized material for this individual performance. He opened his act by commenting how SBC appears to boast “so much diversity—for a Klan meeting,” noting the high percentage of fair-skinned, blonde audience members.

Racial and cultural issues are prominent themes in Ahdoot's performances. A first-generation American with Jewish Iranian parents, he views his unusual family background as a constant source of inspiration, especially in today's post-9/11 world. "I was an Iranian up until Sept. 11, and now I'm Puerto Rican. It makes life a lot easier."

As a pre-med student graduating with honors from Baltimore's Johns Hopkins University (and with excellent MCAT scores to boot), Ahdoot appeared to have a bright future in medicine. “Instead, I took the secure route and chose comedy,” he quipped during his performance.

Fortunately for him, the gamble seems to have paid off. After graduation, Ahdoot moved to New York City, took acting classes with two renowned comedy troupes, and eventually snagged work as a freelance writer for Comedy Central's hit show Crank Yankers. This allowed him to leave his nights open for performing with the improv troupe “Gunshow.”

Since then, Ahdoot's reputation has flourished. He has opened for popular comedians Dave Chappelle, Lewis Black, and Jay Mohr, and was a finalist on the second season of NBC's Last Comic Standing.

Given his inspired performance at one of the smallest colleges in the country on a cold Monday night in January, Ahdoot seems to have the comedic chops required to play the big time, and the endurance to stay there.