COMEDY REVIEW : COMIC ROLLS OUT BEST FOR IMPROV

It makes perfect sense that the Improvisation folks chose Jerry Seinfeld to christen their new comedy club in Irvine with a performance Tuesday night.

For one thing, Seinfeld is a comic’s comic. He’s one of the half-dozen best writers in stand-up--and has the fresh, enormously inventive material to prove it. For another, the Improv organization and Seinfeld have strong and longstanding ties. On any given night, you’re likely to see him at the Los Angeles Improv--even if he’s not scheduled to perform.

He once called that club “ the comedy watering hole,” and has said that appearing at the L.A. Improv was directly responsible for his first booking on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” in 1981. He’s since made more than two dozen appearances on that show and is also a frequent guest on “Late Night With David Letterman.”

And it’s easy to see why. He works totally clean, making him a natural for network TV. (He has nothing against cable, though. His first HBO special, “Jerry Seinfeld’s Stand-up Confidential” will air in September).

Moreover, Seinfeld is a gifted wordsmith with a twinkling eye for the absurd, a combination that makes his best stuff dazzling and even boosts the impact of his rare weak bits.

In a piece on post offices, for instance, he followed a wry, if slightly dated, simile on the lethargic pace of postal workers (“Watching postal employees work is like watching a lava lamp”) with a vintage Seinfeld question about wanted posters (“Why didn’t they just hold on to the guy while they were taking his picture ?”)

Generally, the Brooklyn-born comic doesn’t interact with the crowd much and rarely strays from his material. He did, however, work in a few local references (“Irvine is an architect’s rendering come to life.”)

But it’s hard to question his preference to stay right on course, considering he emerged with a strong, carefully shaped, 45-minute set. It was no accident that he juxtaposed a bit about the elderly with one about children--neatly capturing telling details of both ends of the age spectrum.

His observations reflect a comedic mind that’s warmly amused by things and people--a far cry from the condescending or meanspirited attitude that often characterizes stand-up performers. No one gets hurt by a Jerry Seinfeld joke.

That isn’t to say that his act is toothless. It’s just that anger doesn’t fuel his vision as much as desire to immerse you in his land of oddities or funny scenes you may have forgotten.

With just a few phrases, he evoked the paralyzing boredom that strikes a youngster dragged along to the store or the bank, the kind of boredom the kid can ease only by lying on the floor, despite the scolding from his mother. “I can’t get up, mom, it’s too dull in here.”

In addition to many imaginative observations on kids, parents, notary publics, stamp collectors and other people, Seinfeld sketched some delightfully off-kilter scenes starring animals. The wit and affection with which he personified horses, moose and cows Tuesday mark him as stand-up’s equivalent to “Far Side” cartoonist Gary Larson.

Clearly, Seinfeld’s material was, and invariably is, uniformly strong. Less consistent, and where his performances rise and fall, is his manner and delivery on stage. Some Seinfeld sets tend to be a bit hollow, where he recites his act too much by rote, depriving us of even a glimpse of the person (or at least the persona) behind the extraordinary material.

But when he’s “on,” animated and connecting with the crowd--as he was Tuesday--he’s one of the sharpest comics around. Headlining an impressive bill that also features Max Alexander and Pat Hazell, Seinfeld will appear at the Irvine Improv through Sunday..

The Improv started presenting shows Friday. With four nights to work the kinks out of the operation, the 283-seat club ran smoothly Tuesday, on its way toward next week’s private “official” grand-opening bash.