Comedian, actor and commentator Jimmy Tingle thinks it’s been about five years since the last time he was in town for Covenant House.

“It’s hard to remember,” he admits. “I think it was for the 20th anniversary, might have been the 15th. Maybe it was both. Anyway, it’s all for a good cause.”

Covenant House marks its 25th year of service to the community on Wednesday, May 3 and has called out the creative troops. Hosted by “Mountain Stage’s” Larry Groce, the celebration is meant to be a night of remembrance and renewal, featuring performances by Tingle, performer Ann Magnuson and singer/songwriter Ron Sowell, who will be debuting an original song for the occasion.

Tingle

While Magnuson is a native of Charleston and Groce and Sowell are longtime residents of the city, Tingle comes to Charleston through another route. "My cousin, actually," he says. "Barbara Ferraro. We come from a big family from Cambridge, Mass. So she asked and, of course, I said yes."

Magnuson

Ferraro and Patricia Hussey started Covenant House as a private organization dedicated to working to create solutions and salves for the myriad of social problems that are all too common in the Mountain State.

For Tingle, whether this is the second, third or fourth visit to Charleston on behalf of Covenant House, he’s glad to be in town to help out. “It’s going to be a great show. People are going to laugh their hineys off,” he says, then adds again, “and it’s for a good cause.”

Since his last visit, Tingle’s star has been on the rise, thanks in part to his work on CBS’ “60 minutes II,” which he concedes was a strange gig for a comedian. It’s a TV news feature show. He heard about the job through the newspaper.

“They said they had all their people,” he explains. “They had their Charlie Rose. They had Dan Rather. They said they had every guy they needed except the Andy Rooney guy.”

So, he sent them some tapes. One thing led to another. “I got to be that guy!” he exclaims.

He says the role of curmudgeonly commentator fits well with what he does. Tingle’s comedy draws on current events, what he sees on the television news and reads in the paper. “I just listen to what’s happening,” he says. “I never run out of material.”

Tingle’s latest accomplishment has been to open an off-Broadway theater — in Massachusetts. He says it has been a real education.

“I gotta tell you it’s been trouble,” he says. “So, my liberal Ted Kennedy left brain is saying, ‘Jimmy, we need to get the workers health care.’ My conservative right brain says, ‘Screw them.’ The left side wants to unionize the right side of my head. The right wants to send in goons and crush the left.”

If you go:
The Covenant House 25th Anniversary Celebration begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 3 at the Capitol Center Theater, 123 Summers St. Dessert reception to follow at the Summit. Tickets, $50 ($20 is tax-deductible), through Covenant House at 344-8053 or the theater at 342-6522.

DETAILS: Performers include Jimmy Tingle, Ann Magnuson (left) with Kristian Hoffman, Ron Sowell and host Larry Groce of “Mountain Stage.” Magnuson, last seen performing in Charleston at last summer’s Festiv-ALL, will perform material from a new solo CD titled “Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories,” produced by Hoffman; spoken- word pieces; and a song from Hoffman’s last album of duets called “Kristian Hoffman and ...”