Lewis Black brings comedy, drama to WTF

By Mike Briotta — PRIME Editor Lewis Black has been called many names — and not all of them are four-letter words. He's been dubbed "America's premiere political pundit." He's also an apoplectic stand-up comedian and a frequently angry, finger-shaking storyteller. When he appears onstage in Massachusetts and Connecticut this summer, the cantankerous celebrity will have recently boasted yet another title: Lewis Black, playwright. Television audiences might remember Black's political barbs from "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" on Comedy Central.

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"Nothing irritates me more than a celebrity who gets on TV and says, 'I'm 64 and never felt better.' Really? Were you in an iron lung until now?" —Lewis Black

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Viewers may also have also seen his guest appearances on CNN, under the "Anger Management" banner, promoting one of his books. Two of his books have appeared on the New York Times bestseller list. Black's comic delivery often appears like a man approaching a nervous breakdown, tics and all. His eyebrows are eternally arched over his dark-rimmed glasses. His public persona resembles someone suffering from a bout of Tourette's Syndrome, battling back his demons in a fit of rage. Fans of his no-holds-barred comedy are largely unaware that Black also holds a Master's Degree in Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama. Or that he's the author of dozens of one-act plays. Audiences at the Williamstown Theatre Festival (WTF) are in for a treat this month as Black's full-length play "One Slight Hitch" is debuted for local audiences in the Berkshires from July 6-17. He's had a long involvement with the WTF, previously acting in some of the festival's plays. "I was involved [with the WTF] for about 10 years, and then I was gone for about four years. Now I'm back," Black told PRIME Magazine. He continued, "I consider the festival to be one of the nicest times in my life. Spending summers up there, it's idyllic. And normally that doesn't appeal to me. In a sense, it's kind of like a retreat. You have to work, but it's with people who love their craft and are really good at it." Few comedians can honestly say they're experienced thespians and working playwrights. Black said the reactions he gets from fans is often a blend of puzzlement and respect. "They bow toward me," he joked. "The folks that follow me, I think some of them are aware of my background, but most people are surprised that I did that. I never intended to go into comedy." He's not afraid to take political sides. Black compared Sarah Palin's 2008 vice presidential campaign to Jimmy Stewart's character in the film "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." He once said about former vice president Dick Cheney's scowl: "It looks like he's working his way through a particularly painful dump." Stark Raving Black His stand-up career took an unusually long time to emerge from its comedy chrysalis; Black has often said that he skipped no rungs on the ladder to success. He began telling jokes at small nightclubs decades before gaining any measure of fame. He spent many years laboring in tiny nightclubs with sparse crowds. He scrapped for stage time and meager audiences in the 1980s at clubs such as "Catch a Rising Star" in New York City. "I have friends who are still in the trenches and shouldn't be — it's odd," Black said. "This is a profession where they look for young performers. It's misguided." He continued, "Not that there aren't great younger performers. Sure, there can be some 16-year-old comic who's great, like Dave Chappelle when he started out. But I did comedy as a hobby for 20 years. Now, another 25 years after that, I'm still doing it." For his stand-up performances this summer, Black is aiming for targets near and dear to his Boomer generation peers. Asked what topics he would address in his stand-up performances at the WTF this month and at Mohegan Sun in August, he replied, "The legalization of marijuana. Not doing this is beyond stupid; Marijuana should be legalized and states should be involved in selling it. That Puritan streak is just stupid." Black has said that he's not actually a pot-smoker, but does believe in the medicinal value of marijuana. The comedian continued, "For my generation not to have changed these laws, much before now, is reprehensible. My generation has done minimal at best about this. Forty years later, we still haven't legalized marijuana. It helps people as a drug. We know it does." In his typically spasmodic fashion, Black stumbles and stammers his way to the next few topics the day, each of which seems just barely lodged just under his skin. It doesn't take much to get him free-associating the subjects he's currently targeting. "Presidential candidates, the economy," he said. "Those are a laugh riot.terrorism. Facebook and Twitter. Goldman Sachs claims that Facebook is worth $50 billion." Getting material for his act is simple enough. Black said that he reads the New York Post, New York Times and a few other newspapers looking for "stuff that irritates me." He continued, "I think Facebook is undermining my personal space. It would be nice if they posted whatever their Constitution is. But people around me say, 'You've gotta have a Facebook page.' It's ridiculous." As someone who turns 63 in late August, he also sneaks in a few age-related quips as well. "Yes, I do talk about age in my act," Black said. "Nothing irritates me more than a celebrity who gets on TV and says, 'I'm 64 and never felt better.' Really? Were you in an iron lung until now?" One Slight Hitch His theatrical opus "One Slight Hitch" is far from being a newly written play. The inspiration for this story was something very dear to Black in his personal life, and this particular story has endured a long shelf life. "I wrote a lot of one-act plays," Black said. "Those were mostly plays written for a specific theatre company and would die with that group. This is a full-length play that I started in '81 or '82. It was optioned for Broadway for a number of years." He continued, "A lot of major stars read it from what I'm told. But it would never get to Broadway, and was always hovering around being done." The impetus behind "One Slight Hitch" was a rough break-up experienced by the performer many years ago, which rattled the comic but ultimately sparked his creativity. "The inspiration for this story? I wrote it because I was desperate to start making a living writing [expletive] plays!" he quipped. He added, on a more serious note, "At the time, I was keeping in close contact with my ex-girlfriend, an actress. We remained very good friends. Within three weeks of meeting someone new, though, she decided to marry him!" He continued, "I went [expletive] ballistic. So I thought, what if I wrote a play about showing up the day of the wedding? So it's kind of personal, but I wrote it as a comedy." Black also wrote other darkly comedic plays around that time, including one that he says was so bad, a reviewer suggested he should be banned from having his plays performed in California. That play, about survivalists had a plot that included three characters getting shot, including a child. Asked whether or not he was tempted to cast himself in the production of "One Slight Hitch," he responded that he's much more comfortable staying behind-the-scenes for this one. "I couldn't really act in this play. The characters are too young, and I'm not good enough. It's a stupidly good cast," Black said. He warned, "Don't come if you expect it to be a version of my act on some level. I don't want to hear, 'Oh, you're doing a play and not your stand-up?' It's a farcical romantic comedy." The comedian has joked that he returned to theatrical productions because "I don't have enough misery in my life." Of course, fans of his political rants are also strongly encouraged to check out his stand-up comedy at the WTF, which will be a one-night performance July 18 on the main stage. All proceeds from that event will support WTF educational and professional development programs. Black is then scheduled to perform his comedy at Connecticut's Mohegan Sun the evening of Aug. 5. The comedian, author and playwright said he will uphold his reputation as treating fans very kindly, frequently offering meet-and-greet sessions and impromptu visits with those seeking an extra dose of his brand of 'Blackness' in the Berkshires. "I'll do whatever needs to be done to help raise extra money for [the WTF]. If people come up to me and ask, I'll stop and yak. I'll offer an autograph or photo," Black said. He added, "I don't have an entourage. Maybe a parrot on my shoulder, that's about it. If you really want to find me, I'll be at the bar." PRIME For more information about Lewis Black's local performances, please visit the WTF Web site at wtfestival.org. or the casino's Web site at mohegansun.com.