| Tingle makes his presence known in Davis Square
By Pat Healy For the Journal Comedian Jimmy Tingle has had an all-around great year. Reflecting on the first year of his Davis Square Theater, Jimmy Tingle’s Off Broadway, he says it’s been great in many senses of the word. “It’s been great in satisfaction, great in anxiety, great in stress, great in responsibility, and great in performances,” he says. Since opening last November over 12,000 patrons have passed through the doors of the 200-seat underground theater to see Jimmy’s one-man show or the other events that he books there. These functions have included the Somerville mayoral debate, a monthly poetry series, dramatic works, children’s theater, fundraising, and other political events. Tingle, who was born and raised in Cambridge, returned to the area last fall after two seasons with the CBS program 60 Minutes II in the humorist/commentator role made famous by Andy Rooney. He jokes that aside from a job as a satirist for MSNBC in 1996, this was one of the only real jobs he’s ever had. “I’ve been a freelancer for 20 years,” he says. “I’ve never gotten a regular paycheck.” Tingle is being modest calling himself a freelancer. Beginning in 1980 he quickly rose through the ranks of the early stand-up comedy scene in Boston. Starting at open mic nights, moving on to paid engagements headlining at comedy clubs, theaters and colleges across the country, Tingle has already had a lot of his comedy dreams come true, appearing on the Tonight Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Late Late Show with Tom Snyder, and he even had his own HBO comedy special. Tingle also appeared in the latest Chris Rock movie Head of State, and Next Stop Wonderland. His theatrical credits include writing and starring in his own one-man shows, one of which became the longest-running one-person show in the Hasty Pudding Theater’s history, another of which was nominated by LA Weekly for best male solo performance. He says he started the theater because he always wanted to have something consistent. “I’ve never been booked more than three or four months out in over 20 years and running a theater is all about planning and months of lead time to get things accomplished to have your ducks in a row and get the word out so audiences know.” Tingle’s show is two hours of rapid-fire musings on current events, the political climate and the absurdity of our own culture, touching upon everything from corporate mergers to the capture of Saddam Hussein. When asked how he approaches current events, Tingle responds by adamantly shaking his fist, saying, “with a vengeance!” But how does he make such potentially touchy topics palatable for his audiences? “Connections,” he says. “Take Michael Jackson: It’s a horrible crime he’s being accused of and there’s something really serious underneath it. And then there’s the Catholic Church sex scandal. These are horrible crimes. It’s not funny. So, as I say onstage, it’s a horrible situation with Michael Jackson. If he’s sick I hope he gets help. I just hope and pray the Catholic Church doesn’t transfer him to another parish.” Rather than any specific comics, Tingle cites his biggest comic influence as New England. Growing up Catholic, attending public schools, being a democrat and living in the hometown of the American Revolution have all had an impact on his comic sensibilities. “I think a lot of that psychologically shapes your worldview over the years, and I think that has more to do with it than any particular comic or television show,” he says. Tingle says his original goal in starting the theater was to break his own show in and break the theater in at the same time. Within the next year he is planning on bringing more acts into the theater. One of those acts, an audience-interactive improvisational show from Chicago called Flanagan ’s Wake is opening Jan. 29 and running through April 4. Chuck Karvelas, executive producer and ensemble member of Flanagan’s, says Tingle was the first person he called about bringing the show to Boston. “It’s been running in Chicago for 10 years, and it’s one of the longest running shows in Chicago history,” he says. “It celebrates so much of Boston and Irish Catholics that Jimmy was obviously the one who would know what to do with it here. “We were looking for a theater that was warm and inviting, and as soon as we walked into the space in August, we knew. You can’t go wrong when you’re next to The Burren and Sligo Pub.” Tingle says he hopes to bring more productions like Flanagan’s to town, and create opportunities for established performers as well as for up-and-comers. “How to be successful, have good work in, and also draw good audiences, that’s what we’re in the process of trying to do,” he says. Promotion is another continuing goal for Tingle. He and his publicist Joanne Barrett are working hard to establish the theater as a Davis Square presence. He has teamed up with a few of the area’s restaurants to give theatergoers discounts on their meals when they present their ticket stubs, and it’s hard to go anywhere in Davis Square without seeing Tingle’s mug on a stack of complimentary postcards. The theater also has special events such as Employee Appreciation Day this Sunday (Dec. 21). Tickets are $5 off, and there will be a buffet courtesy of Redbones. Tingle is encouraging employers to bring their workers to the show. As for his own employees, there is little doubt about the mutual appreciation they share. Box office manager Mary Switalski, who has been with the theater since day one, says it has been great working with the team at the theater because Tingle is such a great coach. As the coach approaches, she hears him whistling down the hall. “He’s going to open up the door and say, ‘howdy doody!’,” she predicts. Sure enough, the door flies open and Tingle is standing in the light of the doorway, waving jovially to his employees, ‘howdy doody!’ Switalski says she hopes the next year will be as good as the last one has been. “Davis Square is really having a cultural revival and it’s nice that we’re able to provide a variety of entertainment besides what you can see out at the bars,” she says. For more information on Jimmy Tingle or the Off Broadway theater, visit the Web site at www.JimmyTingle.comBack |
 |