A special performance of the “Laugh-in-Peace” Tour, its first in the Boston area in over five years, will be brought to Phillips Academy Friday, January 27, by members of the campus Jewish Student Union and Muslim Student Union. Rabbi Bob Alper, creator of the tour, will team up with Mohammed “Mo” Amer. Rabbi Alper is self-described as “The world’s only practicing clergyman doing stand-up comedy…intentionally.” Rabbi Alper performs across North America, London, and at The Hollywood Improv. He is heard daily on Sirius/XM Radio, and seen on Showtime, The Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and Extra. Recently the tour was profiled in a CBS News feature. Mr. Amer was born in Kuwait to Palestinian parents, and fled his birth country at the age of nine during the Gulf War. His family settled in Houston where, as a teen, he developed his comedy craft after observing that Muslim moms, dads, and uncles are funny too! Mo has performed to rave review in 16 countries, including USO shows for our troops in Iraq. The Detroit Free Press has described the “Laugh in Peace” tour as “one of the most unusual and uplifting cross-cultural experiences you’ll have this year.” As Jewish and Muslim Comedians, Rabbi Alper and Mr. Amer call humor “a universal language that helps bring understanding to each other’s humanity.” Their message: “Don’t be afraid to be funny.” The performance will be held in the Tang Theatre of George Washington Hall, Chapel Avenue, in Andover, at 8 p.m. and is free and open to the public. The tour is presented through the generous support of the Abbot Academy Association, CAMD, the Everett Gendler Fund of the Chaplaincy, and the Sidney Paley Fund of the Jewish Student Union. For more information contact Gail Ralston at the Chaplaincy, gralston@andover.edu.
