"Jimmy Tingle for President"
Arsenal Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown
8pm
August 7 to August 9, 8pm
Website | Tickets
Presidential candidates. Humor. The two don't usually go together--at least not intentionally. No one expects "crotchety old guy" and "celebrity #1" to be funny, so can we at least turn to the third-party hopefuls? Ralph Nader and Bob Barr may be laughable, but it's doubtful either has made (or will make) any witty statements during this election cycle. Fortunately, Jimmy Tingle and his Humor for Humanity party are here to help save us all from the unfunny. The party's slogan, "Humor and Helping, Humor and Healing, Humor and Hope," can be shortened to the much simpler "Ha! Ha! Ha!"--a rallying cry you can get behind with gusto. Tingle lays out his political humor platform in the the show "Jimmy Tingle For President"--a combination of monologue, a stump speech, and a press conference interspersed with touches of stand-up comedy.
Tingle begins the show as a silhouette projected onto an American flag as he plays "This Land Is Your Land" on harmonica. It's established early on that Tingle has little more than his comedic record to run on, but we do hear about his blue-collar upbringing in Cambridge (near two universities) as the son of a cab driver in a Catholic family. That should win him some points with those people clinging to guns and religion.
Somewhere in the first half of the show, this Bostonist actually felt like voting for Tingle as the candidate gave absurd yet articulate twists on many issues including the environment, insurance, budget, and immigration. Without spoiling too many laugh lines, we can tell you that Tingle proposes an interesting energy plan (put prisoners on exercise bikes connected to generators!), discusses "Al Gore's Revenge," reveals the secret behind health insurance companies, and compares the early history of the pilgrims to modern immigration. After seeing the show, you'll find yourself thinking at lunchtime, "Pay for the ham and write off the cheese"--Tingle's proposal for helping all workers (not just business owners) write off "business" expenses on their taxes.
More from the mock-candidate after the jump!
After the intermission, Tingle takes questions from the crowd, press conference style. Of course, he does whatever he wants with the questions--much like any other presidential candidate. Some inquiries are humorously deflected with a brief response, while others become launching pads for prepared remarks. (He evaded Bostonist's question about his mediocre high-school football career by stating his coach--our insider source--was fired for being a drunk. A likely story!)
At some point, the longer questions transitioned back into more insightful yet off-kilter New England logic on defense, gay rights, homeland security, and a few inspirational thoughts on the future. Tingle even squeezed out some fresh laughs about Viagra (and Cialis) commercials. Who does it in bathtubs in a field? Maybe turn-ons change once you get older.
There was much to laugh at during the show, but the fast-paced material didn't leave much space for guffaws. Kudos to candidate Tingle for never stooping to mean-spirited or malicious attacks. Some attention was given to Obama, and McCain was never attacked. People and stances were called out, but it's difficult to recall much cynicism. The few times that bits didn't work, it was because they felt like staged bits instead of organic parts of the monologue.
In all, Tingle helps us laugh about the inanity of the electoral process, and one leaves feeling a little better about the sorry state of affairs. Bostonist felt slightly hopeful about the future. We laughed at Tingle's proposals, but someone at MIT might be working on a solution to the energy crisis through the collective efforts of exercise bikes.
Jimmy Tingle exited stage rear, silhouetted behind the flag and blowing through "This Land is Your Land" once again. When the lights came up, the 20-ish woman on our left seemed to enjoy "Tingle for President" as equally as the 60-ish man on our right. What can we say? Humor unites.
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