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By Vincent Yu Special to Reminder Publications It's a warm Saturday night in Cambridge, Mass. A friend and I have last row seats at the Comedy Studio, a quaint little room where, unbeknownst to most people, some of the most famous and talented comedians in America perform in front of delighted audiences. The noisy audience and the deafening music (Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl") quiet down, and the MC announces the next act, Mr. Jim Flaherty. Yes, that's right -- Longmeadow High School's very own Mr. Flaherty, who teaches mathematics in room 121, runs on stage, and begins his act: "My name's Jim Flaherty, and here are some of tonight's top stories." His routine spans the presidential elections, an auction at O.J. Simpson's house, even a Lindsay Lohan reference. At his Homer Simpson impression, the entire crowd bursts into laughter and applause. His summary of the Obama-McCain debates "in 60 seconds" is a huge hit. By the end of the act, Flaherty is flushed but satisfied. There's thunderous applause in his wake as he leaves the stage. Before attending his show, I was one of many students at LHS who has not had Flaherty as a teacher and was unaware of his comedic talent or his rich acting career outside of the classroom. Before embarking on a career as a full-time actor and comedian, Flaherty worked as a chemical engineer for various employers. After five years, he realized he didn't really have the passion for it. Flaherty began asking himself, "What do I have passion for? What do I enjoy?" The answer came easily enough: "I liked making people laugh, doing voices," he said. At a self-proclaimed "career-changing crisis," Flaherty received an invitation from a fraternity brother to travel to Chicago and "test the waters" as a stand-up comedian. He prepared a five-minute set for this first gig. "There's a light at the back. When the light comes on, you know you have to wrap it up," he remembered. For his performance, it took an unusually long time for the light to turn on. "The host told me after, 'You were doing great, so I let you keep going.' That was a real boost, feedback like that was really encouraging," he said. Afterward, two other comics came up to Flaherty and asked him to do sets at their clubs, and he moved to Boston and worked part-time in stand up and improviosational comedy. After six months, Flaherty was a regular on the Boston comedy circuit, and even became one of the founding members of the Improv Boston troupe. For several years, Flaherty taught math and science at Westwood High School by day and pursued an acting and comedic career by night, until he got cast for a show in Boston and became a full-time entertainer. He spent a large part of his career writing and performing at corporate events. "Companies knew their issues; I knew how to make them funny," he recalled. During one particularly memorable gig, Flaherty dressed up as Captain Kirk of "Star Trek" for a trade show for EMC, a storage and warehousing company. He wrote and acted in a 10-minute "Star Trek" spoof, playing nearly all the characters, to advertise the new company product called "Enterprise Storage." As an actor, Flaherty remembers portraying former president Bill Clinton on an episode of "Saturday Night Live" as his most memorable role. In that role he was cast alongside veteran "SNL" cast members Darrell Hammond and Will Ferrell. Other career highlights include working opposite Jerry Orbach on a scene from "Law and Order," playing an anger management client in "The Sopranos" and playing President Bush opposite Dave Chappelle as Antwone Fischer during a skit on "Chappelle's Show." "It's life's irony that my life has gone a full circle," Flaherty noted. After the Sept. 11 attacks, companies stopped their corporate events. "I lost 90 percent of my income," he remembered. Once again, Flaherty became a teacher, eventually finding his way to LHS. Flaherty still maintains an active career as a comedian, most recently performing at the Comedy Studio in Cambridge and at the Bushnell Caf in Hartford, Conn. Flaherty Facts Favorite Comedians: Red Skelton, Lily Tomlin, Bill Cosby, Steve Martin Favorite Actor/Actress: Harrison Ford, Sissy Spacek Favorite Movies: "Rocky," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Blue Velvet," "The Sting," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" Favorite B-Movie: "Tremors" Show-Biz Advice: "Follow your passion, do what you love." | ||||||
