If we all cooperate, I think Cambridge and Somerville can get Zach Zimmerman to move here.
It seemed that way when I talked to Zimmerman between his fall dates in town. He just brought a preview of his forthcoming special to Davis Square’s Crystal Ballroom and will be returning to town for an additional “warmup” show at Harvard Square’s Comedy Studio.
Zimmerman is a Brooklyn, New York, comic who’s contributed to the New Yorker’s “Shouts & Murmurs” items and last year published “Is It Hot in Here? (Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth?)” – about “retiring a Bible Belt-dwelling, meat-eating, God-fearing identity in exchange for a new, metropolitan lease on life – one of vegetarianism, atheism, queerness, and humor,” topics mined in his standup as well. (“They don’t understand the queer community,” he says of his parents. “I also have questions.”)
When I asked him why the Camberville area was playing such a big role on the runway to the special’s filming, he cited the area as one that’s been good to him over the years.
“Other than pandering to potential audience members, I’ve found some of my best cities are San Francisco, Chicago and [the Boston area],” Zimmerman said. “It’s a great comedy town.”
It’s also the town that, in a way, provides Zimmerman his latest milestone: His first special will be the first produced by Pretty Good Friends, the comedy label of local favorite Eugene Mirman. It put out Mirman’s emotional and hilarious film “It Started as a Joke,” about the genesis and evolution of the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival. “It was a no-brainer, and I’m so fortunate and grateful to have their talent and support to make this thing happen.”
Specials offer a larger canvas on which to showcase jokes than shorter sets or the tidbits of material that have become so commonplace on social media. Zimmerman said he looks forward to filling that space, but also the nervousness that comes with it.
“Even in a headlining set, your set can be pretty modular when you’ve got these two- to five-minute bits that can go anywhere. You’re finding new and interesting connections. You can kind of DJ the night depending on the vibe of the audience: You can go bluer or not,” he said.
For the special, “I’m like, ‘What’s the best order of these bits? How can they grow?’ That changes how people experience the show. Just seeing the night as a whole and knowing the audience is committed to seeing it as a whole gives you some leeway to maybe do something interesting. I’m still trying to perfect the ending and make it sing in a way that I really want to. It’s hard when you’re testing,” he said.
The closer Zimmerman gets to the special, the more committed he’s become to that “something interesting.” Empowered by advice from another local favorite, Gary Gulman, he’s digging in his heels on bypassing the “dating app or delivery app jokes, which I have” in favor of the “strange turn or the weird alleyway your brain goes down. Maybe a few other people fit down that alleyway, but the people who go down it with you are gonna appreciate your company.” Having seen a few of those turns in person, I can confirm they’re going to be a pleasant surprise.
Zach Zimmerman performs with Eugene Mirman as opener at 8 p.m. Saturday at The Comedy Studio, 5 John F. Kennedy St., Harvard Square, Cambridge. $8 to $24.
A stronger
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