Boston is renowned for producing big-name comedic talent, from talk-show hosts Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien to stand-ups like Steven Wright and Denis Leary. But even as comedy festivals in Aspen and Montreal were flourishing, there was no festival here. At least not until local comedian Jim McCue thought up the idea that spawned the Boston International Comedy Festival — the second annual edition kicks off this Saturday and runs through April 8 — while he was part of a Boston-theme show for Montreal’s “Just for Laughs” festival.

“During their festival, I did the Boston Tea Party with Frank Santorelli and Julie Barr and Tony V, and we were a really big success,” McCue recalls. “They started calling us the alternative festival. And that’s when I said, ‘You know what? We gotta switch gears and start our own festival in Boston.’ ”

Enlisting John Tobin, his partner in a local booking agency, McCue started out modestly last year, with just under 10 shows in a handful of clubs. This year the festival has exploded: 36 shows in nine comedy clubs plus the Emerson Majestic Theatre, with after-parties in several local nightspots. Comics auditioned in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Hartford, Toronto, and Montreal. And McCue and Tobin have broadened the festival’s scope. There’ll be two “Founding Fathers” nights starring local vets Mike McDonald, Bill Braudis, Brian Kiley, and Chance Langton, as well as a reprise of one of last year’s favorites, “The Hazardous Show,” hosted by local treasure DJ Hazard. There’s also a national headliner in Jackie “The Joke Man” Martling from the Howard Stern Show, who opens the fest on the 31st. Local scenes like “The Writer’s Room” and Reverend Tim McIntire’s “Thursday Night Fights” will be spotlighted at the Comedy Studio. A gay- and lesbian-themed show, “Queer Madness,” will be hosted by Survivor’s Richard Hatch; there’ll be a “Boston Jam Show” featuring African-American comedians, an “All-Star Women’s Show,” and even an “Oh Canada” starring talent from Toronto and Montreal.

Naturally McCue and Tobin want to show off the local talent to the movie and TV industry. Rising Boston stars like Eugene Mirman, Dwayne Perkins, Julie Barr, and Patrice O’Neil have had to go elsewhere to get discovered. McCue would like to change that. “The industry would come in once or twice a year, and they’d see maybe eight acts that the club owner decided to put on. They didn’t really get a chance to just kind of bounce around and see different talent.”

The festival will also help young comics get attention through “The Ultimate Comedy Contest,” which runs eight out of nine nights and features 77 comedians culled from more than 300 audition tapes. The grand prize is $10,000 and a chance to compete in Comedy Central’s “Laugh Riots” for a spot on the network.

Above all, though, McCue believes the Boston International Comedy Festival is about making people laugh. The event may be growing, but his goal remains simple: “I think I’m just going to try to get as many funny people as possible on stage and let the chips fall where they may.”

The Boston International Comedy Festival runs March 31 through April 8 at many locations in and around Boston. You can obtain ticket and scheduling information by calling the Emerson Majestic Theatre at (617) 824-8000, or visit www.bostoncomedyfestival.com.

Issue Date: March 29-April 5, 2001