Chicago’s very own Jeff Garlin, who for years has worked the comedy stages in the city, the suburbs and around the country, is now a television mogul.
“Hahahaaahahhaa!” notes Garlin at the suggestion. He may chuckle, but the description is apt.
Garlin is an executive producer, co-creator and a co-star of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” the new HBO comedy starring Larry David. Premiering at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, the comedy stars the “Seinfeld” co-creator, writer and stand-up comedian in a fictionalized account of his life, complete with celebrities playing themselves.
“The moguling is going good,” says Garlin, 38. “It’s fun being part of the creative process.”
Garlin’s moguling duties include having a say in the casting; making suggestions on how scenes can be funnier and then offering them to David or whoever is directing the episodes; and handling those same chores as different versions of a scene are being filmed.
Garlin also moguled on David’s HBO’s comedy special last year, of which this series is an offshoot. Garlin says David thinks this is a chance to do darker stories that he could never get away with on “Seinfeld.”
Although Garlin laughed off the mogul tag, his involvement in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is no laughing matter.
“It’s a great start. Being teamed up with Larry David? C’mon, what’s better than that,” he says.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” dances on the edge because instead of a script, actors follow an outline of the scenes and then improvise their lines. Both David and Garlin do themselves proud in Sunday’s premiere, as well as Richard Lewis, who plays himself.
Being comedians helps those three in particular, Garlin says, “especially for me with my Second City background, that’s what I do. I’m best at playing a character that’s reasonably real, and speaking for him or being him and being real. That’s what I do best.”
Garlin takes great relish in playing David’s manager in the comedy, whom Garlin describes as being the typically oily Hollywood exec.
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“Lords knows that character is not a good guy,” says Garlin. “He has a value system that’s absurd. And he’s always getting Larry in trouble. These are all things that I would not be doing as Jeff Garlin.
“One of the keys to playing him is to always believe that in his mind, he thinks everything he’s doing is right and the right thing to do.”
As to the question of whether or not Garlin and David’s characters are based on their real selves, Garlin admits that the David seen in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is a stylized version of the man. But those who know the real Garlin know that he’s only playing a part.
Of course, you can’t tell David that.
“He thinks that I’m crazy because I refer to my character as my character,” Garlin says. ” `It’s you!’ he goes, and I go, `No it’s not. I play this evil person, what are you talking about?’ `Well, I don’t understand any of that!’ He doesn’t care for [the word] `character’ or that I wouldn’t do that, or the character wouldn’t do that. . . .
“It’s an argument that he and I have, but I think it’s hilarious.”
Just like Garlin thinks that calling him a mogul is hilarious. Being a mogul has its perks (“It’s fun when I go to take other projects to different networks; people take you more seriously”). But what hasn’t changed is that if he is a mogul now, he’d rather mogul elsewhere. Like home.
“It would be better to be a mogul in Chicago,” he says. “I still hope to do that someday, and make movie and television projects from Chicago.”
If all goes well, Garlin will be back in Chicago in December directing his first feature film, a big-screen version of his winning one-man show “I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With,” with fellow comic Sarah Silverman as his co-star.
In the meantime, Garlin has teamed up with producers from “Everybody Loves Raymond” to pitch a variety show to CBS with Garlin as the star — a kind of combination of “The Ed Sullivan Show” and “The Jackie Gleason Show.”
Never one to completely turn his back on stand-up, Garlin hopes to bring a new one-man comedy show back to Chicago in the summer.
The stand-up lineup
Here’s who’s on the comedy scene. Current stand-up shows are set to run through Saturday, and new acts begin Thursday, unless otherwise noted. Lineups are subject to change.
– The comic juggling antics of the Flying Karamazov Brothers are the top act Saturday at the Center for Performing Arts at Governors State University in University Park. The performers have a unique new show they’re staging, with the help of the brainiacs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Call 708-235-2222 or Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500.
– Zanies has two shows to note at a couple of its clubs. Performing through Sunday is Jeremy Hotz, a funny guy with a unique stage presentation (he talks with one hand at the side of his mouth … you have to see it to get it). He’s working the Wells Street club, at 1548 N. Wells St.; call 312-337-4027.
And Bill Brady, a fine stand-up comic who owns the Barrel of Laughs, works the competition this weekend as he plays Zanies’ St. Charles club in the Pheasant Run Resort (call 630-513-1761) Friday and Saturday.
– Who do you think is minding Brady’s store while he’s at Zanies? It’s “Mr. Big Stuff,” Harry Hickstein. The comedian is the guest emcee for Vince Maranto and Gary Wheaton Friday through Sunday at the Barrel of Laughs, 10345 S. Central Ave., Oak Lawn; call 708-499-2969.
– The Capitol Steps, the sketch comedy group made up of former congressional aides, performs at Moraine Valley Community College’s Fine and Performing Arts Center on Saturday in Palos Hills. For tickets and other details, call the box office at 708-974-5500.