Comics come Ho: Hub's standout stand-ups return to celebrate comic roots

Boston Herald
by Robin Vaughan 
Tuesday, October 26, 1999

Ding Ho 20th Anniversary Reunion Show at the Somerville Theatre Sunday night.

The high spirits and gang's-all-here good will that distinguished Sunday night's Ding Ho 20th Anniversary Reunion Show was palpable before the show even began.

On the sidewalk outside the Somerville Theatre, comics were greeting each other with hearty bear hugs; in the bustle of the will-call ticket line, old friends and comedy scenesters (a majority of whom appeared to be on the guest list) were chatting excitedly about how many old-schoolers had turned out to pay tribute to the Ding Ho and the huge class of top-notch local comics who got their start there.

As one guest observed with some surprise, even Paul Barclay of the original Comedy Connection, which competed with the funky Cambridge club in the old days, had come out to show his respect.

The vibe lasted all the way through the 3-hour show, a comedy marathon so charged with talent and positive energy that Denis Leary and company will have a hard time matching it at the annual Comics Come Home benefit next month.

The early-'80s local comics who honed their stand-up skills and partied hard at the Ding Ho effectively put Boston on the map and ensured its enduring reputation as a top-notch comedy town.

Among the comics on the alumni program were Bobcat Goldthwait, Steven Wright, Jimmy Tingle, Don Gavin, Lenny Clarke, Jack Gallagher, DJ Hazzard, Tony V, Kenny Rogerson, Mike McDonald, Mike Donovan, Teddy Bergeron, Chance Langton, Jay Charbonneau and Barry Crimmins, who started the comedy program at ``the Ding'' and served as the show's comic of honor. One after another, Crimmins' old friends praised his integrity, his comic gift and his contribution to Boston comedy and to their lives.

There was as much said about the wild hedonism of the Ding Ho scene, which Goldthwait summed up as ``Sodom and Gomorrah with a five-dollar cover,'' but most of the old comics obviously survived their moral transgressions with their wit intact.

A few of the alums who dropped out of the comedy game after the heyday were a little rusty, but still funny, and the vast majority of pros on the bill were more impressive than ever. Though the cranked-up, in-your-face school (Gavin, Bergeron, Clarke, Goldthwait and Tony V, to name a few) tended to keep the show rolling with more force than their lower-key peers, the show's broad range of deliveries (from Gallagher's elegant style to Clarke's bleep-laden bluster) made for a well-rounded night.

For coordinator Jimmy Tingle, arranging this confluence of comic talent had to be a mammoth undertaking, and he has good reason to be proud of his efforts.

The show's huge gathering of famous names and local legends guaranteed a high standard of comedy quality, but even with a roster this stellar, 3 hours is a long time to keep an audience laughing. In spite of what would have seemed an impossible unwieldy lineup of more than 20 comics, the show was organized well enough to maintain momentum all the way through to the grand finale onstage crush.

A shifting guard of charismatic hosts - including Tingle, Crimmins, Gallagher, Clarke, Gavin and Hazzard - kept the show brisk, versatile and hilarious.

Ding Ho pianist Martin Olsen was on hand to cue sets and serve as a smiling foil throughout the show.

Another special treat was the preview clip of former Boston comic Fran Solimita's documentary-in-progress, "When Stand-Up Stood Out,'' a chronicle of Boston's '80s heyday. As Solimita observed in his film, some of the best comedians in the country came out of Boston, and "some of the funniest never left.'' This show reaffirmed their legend.