“A Boston comedy star-studded event with all proceeds to benefit Helen Crimmins, wife of the late, great Barry Crimmins”
As Dig comedy writer Dennis Maler wrote for us in 2017:
When you think of comedy, you usually don’t want to be reminded of sad things, like illness or charity. You just want to laugh. That’s why the idea of a comedy benefit can be baffling to some people.
But when that benefit is for photographer Helen Crimmins, the beloved partner of Barry Crimmins, a man who has meant so much to the Boston comedy scene and to humor in general, you quickly move beyond the negative and get to making the jokes.
Barry started producing shows at the iconic Ding Ho restaurant in Inman Square in the ’80s, helping to launch the careers of comedians including Steven Wright, Paula Poundstone, Bobcat Goldthwait, Kevin Meaney, Jimmy Tingle, Lenny Clarke, and more. As shown in Call Me Lucky, the outstanding 2015 documentary about Crimmins that was directed by Goldthwait, his crusade against child pornography has also earned him accolades, as such early efforts to speak out against abuse were ahead of their time.
Comedians and fans still mourn for Crimmins, whose impact on not just Boston comedy but the art form at large cannot be understated. Fortunately for all, his famous and hilarious friends are bent on keeping his memory alive, in part as a fundraiser for Helen, to help with her medical and living expenses.
This year’s lineup is outstanding. Details and links follow …
WHO: Humor for Humanity with Jimmy Tingle and Friends presents…
WHAT: “The Ding Ho Comedy Club 40th Anniversary Reunion, Tribute and Fundraiser REPLAY”
WHEN: July 1,2 & 3, 2021, Barry Crimmins’ birthday, 7:00 pm EST
WHERE: Online (Tickets at jimmytingle.com and eventbrite)
The stars are aligning for a replay of last year’s unique comedy reunion and fundraiser on July 1,2 & 3rd with interviews, clips and comedic riffs from a monolithic lineup of comics, all of whom got their start at the famed Ding Ho Comedy Club in Cambridge, Mass.
The lineup reads like a “Who’s Who” of the early Boston comedy scene, most of whom are still working in television, film, radio, podcasts, on stage to laugh, reminisce and pay tribute to the founder of the Ding Ho Barry Crimmins, while raising much needed funds for the medical treatment and living expense of his surviving wife Helen.
Barry died from cancer on February 28 2018. In 2017, Helen was diagnosed with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma and is currently making steady progress in her recovery.
It has been 40 years since the Ding Ho Chinese Restaurant in Inman Square; Cambridge first started producing comedy shows under the production and artistic direction of Barry Crimmins. As these comics progressed in their careers, they never stopped thanking Barry for giving them a start, and for giving them a firm foundation in professional comedy.
Because the event is online, audiences can literally attend, from around the world.
Featuring:
- Jimmy Tingle (host)
- Steven Wright
- Paula Poundstone
- Bobcat Goldthwait
- Denis Leary
- Lenny Clarke
- Don Gavin
- Jack Gallagher
- Tony V
- Kenny Rogerson
- Mike McDonald
- Brian Kiley
- Chance Langton
- Bill Campbell
- Jim Morris
- Ron Lynch
- Bill Braudis
- Barry Neikrug
- and Ding Ho piano player and comedic council to the comics Martin Olson
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
