Black Comedy in Old Virginny

Way before he became a full-time comic, Lew dreamt of being a playwright. Actually, he originally wanted to be a drama critic, but since UNC didn't have a program for that, he enrolled in play-writing.

He was off to an ominous start.

"Three weeks after I arrived at school, the head of the drama department dropped dead," he says in "Nothing's Sacred." But he went on to write more than 40 plays, and his full-length "One Slight Hitch" has been recently published, and had several successful and well-reviewed runs around the country in the past year or so.

A couple years back, he was in DC for an appearance on "Jeopardy," and he talked with local director Zina Bleck, who asked about his one-acts.

Fast forward to this Wednesday, and the curtain opens on three off-beat (what else would you expect?) comedies from the singular mind of Lewis Black: "L.A. Freewheeling," "The Outer Banks" and "Crossing the Crab Nebula."

They run at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 15-17; Jan. 23-25; Jan. 30-Feb. 1; and at 2 p.m. Jan. 26 and Feb. 2, at the James Lee Community Center Theater, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, Va. Evening tickets are $18; and $12 for students, seniors, and retired and active military. Matinees are $12. Call 703-615-6626 or write ZemfiraStage@gmail.com for tickets and information.

Lew says he'll try to catch the show, but his schedule is pretty tight. He'll be at the Funny Bone next week in Omaha, Nebraska. And we'll all be getting ready to hit the road next month, starting Feb. 7 at the Horseshoe Tunica casino in Mississippi (less than 400 miles from New Orleans!), and returning Feb. 8 to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville.

If I don't see you in Falls Church, I'll see you on the road.

Happy New Year.