He graduated with honors from Johns Hopkins University and planned to apply to medical school.
Sound like a future doctor?
Not so for Dan Ahdoot, whose New York City charm, likeability, and wit have earned him a reputation as one of the hottest young comics on the scene. He has performed regularly at comedy clubs in Manhattan, and is one of the most booked college acts in America.
This Iranian born Jew is the first of three Performing Arts at the J events this season.
Ahdoot has been featured on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend, was a guest at the Comedy Central South Beach Comedy Festival, and was a finalist on NBC’s Last Comic Standing. He has written for MTV’s Short Circuits, Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers, and A&E’s Gene Simmons Roast. He has opened for Lewis Black, Jay Mohr, and Patton Oswalt, and has been featured on ABC’s 20/20. In 2011 he was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and was a guest on Disney’s Kickin’ It.
“Comedy is something I always wanted to do when I was a kid,” Ahdoot says on his website, which apparently convinced his parents to approve of his decision to entertain rather than become a physician.
Ahdoot performed last December at the Milton Katz JCC in N.J. “He was marvelous,” says Marcy Lahav, director of adult culture. “Ahdoot had an intergenerational audience of 50 teens from all over New Jersey and Israel, plus seniors up to 90. He appealed to all of the different groups in the audience. He is improvisational, insightful, easygoing, and I highly recommend anyone see him while he’s in Virginia Beach.”
As the only Iranian Jewish comedian in the world, his wit reflects the new, young diversity and energy that has emerged on the comedy circuit.
Tickets $35 ($30 JCC members). Doors open at 7 pm. Cash bar available before the show. Visit simonfamilyj.org or call 321-2338 for more information. Interested in all three Performing Arts at the J events this season? Buy The Season Pass for just $90 ($75 JCC members).
The Simon Family JCC is a constituent agency of United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
by Leslie Shroyer