There's little debate: Black can do it all
Lewis Black has achieved just about everything a comedian could hope for in his roughly 20-year career. He's been a staple of "The Daily Show" for 12 years, during which time he has become a popular touring comic and released a string of well-received CDs, the seventh of which comes out this summer. He'll release his second book, "Me of Little Faith," in June, and occasionally someone still mounts a production of one of the former Yale theater student's plays.
The one thing that had eluded him? A show of his own.
Black, who performs at the Opera House Thursday and makes promotional appearances for his book in Boston next month, added that final piece when "Lewis Black's Root of All Evil" premiered on Comedy Central in March. Before that, Black estimates he had worked through 12 other pilots, including "Red State Diaries," which Comedy Central rejected last year.
"It was a good idea," says Black. "It tested well. But I didn't yell enough. Seriously, that was what they thought a problem was. It was just extraordinary."
That made "Evil" lucky number 13. Black initially felt good about the show, which is usually a bad sign. Then when he watched the advance DVD with friend and opening comic John Bowman, he lost confidence, which, oddly enough, gave him hope. "If we don't really know what to think," he remembers telling Bowman, "it could do well."
So far, so good. Comedy Central was happy enough with the show to order 10 more episodes, and Black said it is doing well with a younger demographic. And, as a true fan of comedy, Black gets to watch some of his favorite comedians, from Kathleen Madigan to Patton Oswalt, debate in his court of pop culture.
"It's really fun," he says, adding that the show found "a form in which you could watch a comic's mind working without him doing an act."
As for the shouting, Black is aware that his audience expects him to chew up the scenery a little and yell about politics, and he's happy to oblige. "I don't think that's hard for me," he says. "At times, I have to go, 'I better point my fingers, I haven't pointed my fingers.' Most of the time, it's pretty natural. I'm not really conscious of it."
Black says his act is more layered now, and he's taking on a wide range of topics in more depth - "Me of Little Faith," for example, is his 256-page exploration of religion. He's glad he has moved on from his early days, when he was so loud he couldn't tell no one was laughing. "I couldn't understand why they didn't think it was funny," he says. "And then I started catching on."
And now that he's caught on, he gets to play posh venues like the Opera House: "I'll be starting with my version of Pagliacci," he says.
More Ding Ho
When veteran Boston comic Bob Lazarus was diagnosed with leukemia last August, his friends planned one big benefit show to help him with his bills. When they didn't get the venue they wanted, they put on a show at Giggles Comedy Club in November and planned for an even bigger show this spring.
That turned into this Sunday's Ding Ho Reunion show at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, which boasts an all-star lineup with Steven Wright, Tony V., Jimmy Tingle, Barry Crimmins, Bill Braudis, and others (go to regenttheatre.com for a full listing).
Now a second show has been added for Monday with the same comedians. Both shows will provide much-needed relief for Lazarus. He was medically cleared to play clubs again in February, but his work options are limited by his stamina and gig availability.
"Most agents have everything all booked, so I've only done a few things," he says, looking at the silver lining, "but my leukemia material has been working quite well."
Around town
Tonight's lineup at the Comedy Studio includes the Walsh Brothers, Shane Mauss, Dan Boulger, Bethany Van Delft, and Ira Proctor. Harland Williams is at the Comedy Connection tonight and tomorrow. Chris Coxen's League of Characters is at the Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre in Central Square tomorrow. 