Maliki Mardinalli

A sunny port city with a beachfront and blue Mediterranean waters.

Fish restaurants and clubs line the shore.

It's been called the Miami of Syria.

And it would be, except for what happened here last March, when sectarian violence killed around 1,500 people.

That's the stage the comedians are walking into tonight.

Fun, but tense.

OK, it's Wednesday, the 15th of October.

We're in Latakia.

We're just arriving at the venue to see Sharif, Maliki, and the guys as they set up.

It's a beautiful venue overlooking the sea.

Sharif is unloading equipment and making sure everything is in place, working.

Maliki's putting up posters and banners at the entrance.

Hama, one of the cities Maliki was worried about.

He said he had gone to pay the fees for the show, but was told the local government in Hama wasn't going to allow it.

Their only rule is no hate speech.

But still, nobody campaigns for any rights of any kind in their shows.

They care about Hama because it's symbolic.

A full house in a town with a conservative reputation.

A real test of what they can or can't say in the new Syria.

They weren't even going to play Hama when they planned the tour.