Boston Comedy Festival invades Davis Square, Sept. 14-22

BY SHAWN MUSGRAVE

From Friday, Sept. 14 until Saturday, Sept. 22, Somerville’s Davis Square will be the comedy epicenter of Greater Boston as local venues host the 13th annual Boston Comedy Festival (BCF). The nine-day festival will bring national headliners, local comedy veterans and up-and-comers to stages at the Davis Square Theatre, the Somerville Theatre and the Burren. Featured acts range from the family-friendly and mainstream to the coarse and offbeat.

The BCF team hopes to build even further on the crowds that descended on Davis Square for last year’s festival. Having moved the BCF across the river from downtown Boston comedy clubs in 2011, they expect packed houses drawn by the mix of touring comics and emerging local talent.

“If last year’s any indication, we should have full rooms every night,” said BCF founder and producer Jim McCue, who will also headline several shows during the festival.

“The festival evolves every year,” McCue added. “But you could almost throw a dart at this year’s schedule and guarantee a great show. This year, every single one is going to be hysterical.”

McCue said he moved the BCF to Davis Square last year to allow more of a “comedy crawl” feel. He wanted festival-goers to hop easily between acts

at various venues, rather than have to trek between Boston’s far-flung comedy clubs. The close proximity of the three stages in Davis Square suits this vision perfectly, McCue said.

The fun kicks off on Friday evening with “Boston’s Funniest Media Personality Show” at the Davis Square Theatre. Hosted by MIX 93.1′s Chris Zito, this event will showcase the comedy chops of Boston radio and TV personalities like Michael Graham, Hank Morse, Alicia Love and Dee Tension. As with last year’s media personality showcase, a portion of proceeds from this year’s BCF kickoff will be given to the Wounded Warrior Project, which serves injured combat veterans.

On Saturday, September 15, homegrown icon Jimmy Tingle brings his documentary Jimmy Tingle’s American Dream to the Davis Square Theatre, which until 2007 was the site of Tingle’s own Off-Broadway Theatre. Tingle will follow the screening with highlights from his “Jimmy Tingle for President” set and a Q&A about the film.

A Cambridge native and lifelong resident, Tingle tours nationally, but decided not to uproot for industry hubs in LA or New York as many comics do. Tingle’s upbringing and continued residence in Cambridge grounds his work and style, which is typically political and highly satiric. “Boston has a really great reputation as a comedy town,” Tingle said. “Living and working in your hometown, it gives you a foundation. You’re grounded to your family and all the relationships that go back to when you were a kid.”

“Comic’s comic” Andy Kindler, a Daily Show contributor and pioneer of alternative comedy, will also take the Davis Square Theatre stage on Saturday.

The festival centerpiece is the BCF standup contest, which starts on Sunday evening. The contest pits 96 rising comics from across the country for a $10,000 prize and the chance to headline at comedy clubs nationwide. An all-star panel of headliners and Boston comedy legends will host and judge the contest, including Emmanuel Lewis, Mehran Khaghani, Joe Wong and Robbie Printz, many of whom are previous BCF winners and contestants.

The contest will continue through preliminary and semifinal rounds throughout the week, until only 8 aspiring comedians remain for the BCF finals gala on Saturday, September 22 in the Somerville Theatre. Before the contestants air their final sets, the festival will present Judah Friedlander, 30 Rock star and self-proclaimed World Champion, with its Comedian of the Year Award. Cambridge-bred comic Lenny Clarke will also receive BCF’s Lifetime Achievement honor as part of the gala festivities.

Immediately following the finals, Judah Friedlander will close out the festival with a 10 p.m. show at the Davis Square Theatre. Friedlander, a star on the NYC club circuit even when in the middle of shooting the final 30 Rock season, regularly comes to Boston for shows. He said the scene here is one of his favorites.

“I wish I was up here more,” Friedlander said. “I’ve done shows at the Davis Square Theatre before [including for last year's BCF] – it’s a great part of town, and a really intimate theater. Not a bad seat in the house.”

Looking back on the past twelve years of the BCF, McCue, the founder and producer, said he is pleased with its trajectory. “We started out with $500 and an idea,” he said, “and it’s built up over the years into what it is now – $10,000 in prize money for our contest, big-ticket headliners. It’s grown a lot.”

With such a strong lineup and breadth of shows, McCue is confident that BCF 2012 will be another banner festival. “In this time when everything’s so tough, everyone needs a laugh,” said McCue. “There’s something at the BCF for everyone.”