Zahra Noorbakhsh brings her provocative comedy All Atheists Are Muslim back to San Francisco after a successful New York

PHOTOS BY ANDRIA LO

At Noorbakhsh's last show of her New York run, a record 20 people are turned away at the door (including, alas, the long-awaited Persians), and the packed house roars appreciatively at her lovingly-skewered portrayal of her foul-mouthed father ("What the shit hell is this, man?") and her winsome mother, who offers to buy her a Persian rug if she'll just get married already. Leading the audience through the terms of the compromise they all agree to in order to preserve the peace, Noorbakhsh makes it possible for the audience to fall in love with her tradition-bound family despite their initial resistance to Noorbakhsh's American-born sensibilities.

And how do her parents feel about Noorbakhsh's audiences? "They usually sell my tickets," laughs Noorbakhsh. "They love it."

ALL ATHEISTS ARE MUSLIM

Through Oct. 1, $20

Opens Thurs/1, 8 p.m.

Runs Thurs.-Sat., 8 p.m.

Stage Werx Theatre

533 Sutter, SF

(415) 517-3581

www.brownpapertickets.com