SCHWARTZ & CHUNG MIME WITH SKILL

The tall, bald one with the lugubrious face looks like an elongated Bert Lahr. The short one has dark curly hair, a toothy grin and a solid physique.

This oddly matched pair is the skilled and silly comedy/mime team of Schwartz & Chung, which performs for children at the L.A. Cabaret in Encino on Saturday afternoons.

The silliness is deceptive. Schwartz & Chung are two of the best mimes in town.

Gary Schwartz and Caleb Chung are veteran children’s entertainers. They’ve taken their act to L.A. area public schools and theater festivals for several years and perform regularly on the Disney Channel’s “You and Me, Kid.” They know their audience.

The duo’s kid-type humor can get pretty low--the potently pungent aroma of Caleb’s tennis shoes is a recurrent joke. It can also be slightly alarming: Schwartz makes an imposing scarecrow run amok. But these are two canny performers, and they never go too far.

Caleb, pretending to be a pouty kid who wanted a rock ‘n’ roll Barbie Doll, charmed a large birthday party group of beribboned little girls, who had been giggly and shy about getting involved.

Audience involvement is a big part of the show.

A race car routine is only one of many opportunities for an audience volunteer. The finale, using several children, is the creation of a machine that makes happiness, with the children playing all the parts.

Mechanical problems lead to a blow-up, and all performers get to throw themselves to the floor in melodramatic attitudes.

During an intermission, the pair continues to entertain, coming offstage to talk to the children and make balloon animals. The last half of the show consists of the youngsters learning how to perform words and actions in mime. A mimeographed “Fun Book” handed out before the performance serves as a guideline.

Schwartz & Chung cut no corners. When they demonstrate walking under water, Schwartz’s narration is going to be a Jacques Cousteau take-off. Chung must don a mask, a wet suit and flippers and dive backward into the ocean.

Once underwater, it’s not just a matter of slow-motion action--there are fish to observe and a treasure chest to discover. (A treasure chest full of rock ‘n’ roll Barbies.)

The most stunning routine of the day was when Chung, as an astronaut in weightless space, hung on to a chair, all his weight on his hands, legs up in the air, trying to keep from floating up to the ceiling.

Performed without a waver or the slightest tremble, there was no indication of the tremendous strength required to perform the feat. The laws of gravity seemed not to apply.

The show plays at 17271 Ventura Blvd. on Saturdays at 1:30 p.m. and runs about 90 minutes. Information: (818) 997-7880).