Off-Broadway News
Ismael Loutfi Comedy Solo Show Heavenly Baba Sets SoHo Playhouse Bow
Comedian Hasan Minhaj is producing the work, which explores Loutfi’s relationship with his deeply religious immigrant father.
March 11, 2026 By Logan Culwell-Block
Comic Ismael Loutfi will bring a new solo show, Heavenly Baba, to SoHo Playhouse. Hasan Minhaj (The Daily Show) is producing. The production will begin performances April 2 and officially open April 9.
Greg Walloch will direct the work, which explores Loutfi’s relationship with his deeply religious immigrant father (affectionately known as "Baba"), who attempted to convert the entire state of Florida to Islam by painting Islamic slogans all over his car.
Loutfi, making his Off-Broadway debut, began creating the show as a way of trying to understand his father following his passing in 2020. “I’ve dedicated my entire adult life to comedic storytelling, and in a broader sense, the pursuit of professional unseriousness...For the first time, I was confronted with something achingly unfunny," he said in a statement. "My father always confounded me; he was religious and idiosyncratic in ways I couldn’t fully appreciate. Heavenly Baba began as an attempt to understand him, and after two years of building the show, I found I was actually trying to understand myself—as a son, a Muslim, and an artist. Bringing this show Off-Broadway, and having the opportunity to tell this insane story feels like the culmination of a lifetime of searching for connection.”
The production will feature lighting and visual design by Matt Lazarus (Little Shop of Horrors) and set design by Carter Ford.
For tickets and more information, visit SohoPlayhouse.com.
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