Jimmy Tingle Reinvents for the Times

By Susie Davidson

Advocate Correspondent

"Everything's Changed" proclaim the flyers for Jimmy Tingle's new comedy show. And much has, including Jimmy himself. There is a newer depth to the socially-oriented comedic observer, a bit more pause, a lot more reflection. In these sobering times, entertainment is a formidable endeavor for those on both sides of the stage; it takes a true giant of stand-up to deliver a set that is at once provocative, despondent, hopeful, universal, current, and yes, hysterical.

Obviously, one can't bash Bush anymore with abandon, nor, indeed, any leader. Tingle takes it on ("Bush's new inclusive Cabinet is sort of like a Rainbow Corporation.... Their idea of alternative energy? Coal.... Bush wasn't afraid to debate Gore at UMass/Kennedy Library because of the Kennedys - he was afraid of being near *any* library!"), but chides himself as well ("All the books in my library would be on Page 12, that's as far as I get before nodding off").

Hailing from Cambridge, the accent and roots are resolute. He is

eminently accessible, ubiquitously visible, biking around or

dropping in on other comics' sets. You can call, email or talk to him before or after a show. His two seasons on 60 Minutes II, rather than

enhancing his self-image, gave him additional fodder for personal

jive ("They said 'Jimmy, we're going in a different direction' - I

said 'where are we going?' They said 'we're not going anywhere, but you are going through the door with the exit sign.' CBS is the network of 'Survivor': I didn't get fired; I was voted off the show.")

Jimmy's been trying out his new material at the Wingate Street

Micro Theatre in the revitalized downtown section of Haverhill, while

preparing for a Dec. 26-31 stretch at Arlington's Regent Theatre.

The Micro, an intimate arena with an eclectic lineup of film and

performance, is the brainchild of erstwhile owner Brian Longwell,

himself a stand-up comic who also runs software company Special

Projects, Inc. upstairs. His building also boasts a street level

restaurant, a bistro, and a novel bookstore featuring classic and

contemporary tomes at rock-bargain prices.

Tingle's spirituality has always been key to the act, and Judaism

plays no small role. "My manager's Jewish, my agent's Jewish, my

director is Jewish; this could be the start of a new movement:

'Jews for Jimmy!'" he says. At a church service, he explains, Father

Crowley informed the congregation that Jesus was a Jew, and that

Judaism predated Christianity. "Of course, this is news to many of

them, who thought Jesus was an Irish Catholic. But then, Fr.

Crowley tells them that man originated in Africa. So now, they're sitting there trying to comprehend their common bond - Sammy Davis Jr.! We're Sammy's kids!" Later, he asks Fr. Crowley why women can't be priests. "Well, the Apostles were all men." "But," Jimmy asks, "weren't they all Jewish fishermen?" "Well, we've been having a tough time finding Jewish fishermen, let alone any who want to be Catholic priests!" responds Crowley. Jimmy himself? "I just found out through an aunt that I'm really English. I always thought I was Irish. Now I hate myself!"

On prejudice, though, he's clear - through a facetious screen. "I was

in an elevator recently with a Muslim man with a suitcase…I felt so

much safer afterwards, among white men. I mean, white men are so

harmless and trustworthy… except, tax cheats, slumlords, loan sharks, Phillip Morris - and their lawyers - but other than that, they're a credit to their race… except, slavetraders, Stalin, Hitler,

Mussolini, apartheid leaders, the Klan, the British Empire - but

other than that, they're honest and upstanding… except, the

Italian mob, the Irish mob, Charles Manson, Son of Sam, and the accountants for the Big Dig.."

Clearly, his isn't the stuff of comedy clubs, and accordingly, he

doesn't do them. "'Hey, what's this political stuff? Give us a

joke! 'Knock knock. 'Who's there?' Rita. 'Rita who?' Rita newspaper and you might get what I'm saying!"

So it's upward and onward for this hard working, constantly

revising, always relevant paean of the podium. The multitude of benefits he does only attests to the substance of the heart that accompanies the brain and the wit, the passion for contributing, the inability to just sit there.

"So sorry about the situation in Israel", he laments to this

Advocate reporter. "What can any of us in America do to help?"