Most of us have made, or will make, a major career change at some point, but it must have been a shock to those close to her when, in 1997, Vijai Nathan decided to abandon her career in journalism for the dog-eat-dog world of stand-up comedy. Since then, she has appeared on ABC News’ 20/20, PBS, The Oxygen Network, the BBC, and in 2003 was named one of the country's top ten comics by Backstage Magazine. For the past several years, she also followed another path by developing solo theater pieces.

"John Leguizamo's Freak was an inspiration," Nathan told DCist. "I saw all the characters of his life and wanted to tell a story that went a little deeper than what I could do in a stand-up venue."

Describing the difference between the two genres, Nathan said, "A stand-up has to take a very aggressive stance, but in solo performance the audience is on a journey with the teller."

This led her to develop her first solo show, Good Girls Don't, But Indian Girls Do, which premiered in 2001. On Saturday night, she will premiere her latest piece, McGoddess: Big Macs, Karma & the American Dream, at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center on the University of Maryland campus. The performance is in celebration of Asian American Heritage Month and will benefit Counselors Helping (South) Asians/Indians (CHAI).

The piece was borne out of the contradictions Nathan observed in her upbringing and family life.

"When I was young my family would go to temple and eat yogurt rice, but then we would stop at McDonald's on the way home and eat burgers," she said. "How can we be Hindu and eat beef? So it started with that idea."

"My mom is Hindu and superstitious, my dad is agnostic, and my older sister is born again Christian, so that's another huge force," Nathan went on to explain. "On top of that, I was balancing what you get in school."

While her experiences are very specific, Nathan feels that people outside of the South Asian or immigrant community will be able to relate to her show because of its universal themes.

"My stories tend to be about families so I feel like everyone can identify with all those dynamics," she said. "Plus, everyone has to deal with God at some point."

Though her stories deal with issues of faith and family, Nathan doesn't expect anyone to leave the theater in an enlightened state.

"My show does not answer the question, 'Does God exist?'," she chuckled. "If it did, I’d be on Oprah and I’d be rich."

McGoddess: Big Macs, Karma & the American Dream will be performed Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's Dekelboum Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 student/$25 non-student if purchased online ahead of the show. Tickets purchased the day of the performance are $20 student/$30 non-student.

Image by Williams + Hirakawa; courtesy Vijai Nathan