COMEDY REVIEW : Some of the Funniest Jokes They’ve Ever Seen

Some new--if short-lived--comedy teams were born Sunday at the Laff Stop when the Newport Beach club presented stand-up comedy to a predominantly deaf and hearing-impaired audience.

Each of these new duos consisted of one of the six comedians on Sunday’s bill (Fred Greenlee, Diana Jordan, Mac King, Vince Champ, Willie Randolph and Howard Dean) and one of the two interpreters (Jeannine Harris and Paula Dunn) who stood beside the comics, translating their routines into sign language.

(Sunday’s two shows were organized by Sheryl Hirsch of SCRAD (Southern California Recreations Assn. of the Deaf) working with Laff Stop owner Michael Callie and manager Janis Taylor.)

It didn’t take long to see that a lot of bonus humor would spring from the interaction between comic and interpreter. Just moments into the first show, emcee Howard Dean--clearly uncertain about the whole performing/translating process--started speaking very quickly and tossing out odd phrases, as if to test Dunn.

Finally, he blurted “supercalifragilistic.” Dunn responded with some signing-- and a common one-finger salute, which elicited the day’s first big wave of laughter. He retaliated, periodically, with such sarcastic comments as, “You’re so special--I want to have your children.”

Of course, the extent to which the interpreters got into the act varied with the performer--and the style of comedy.

Mac King, an engaging comic-magician with a delivery that recalls Emo Philips, presented a set exactly like any other one, except it was shorter and signed by Harris. Given the highly visual nature of his act--and that it required minimal adjustment--it made perfect sense that, for King, it was show business as usual.

On the other hand, Diana Jordan not only made Dunn a key part of her act but did so in a bawdy manner that often brought down the house. Other comics scored big laughs with humor that seemed--or actually was --tailored for the audience.

(By contrast, some of Vince Champ’s set didn’t go over at all because he made a number of music and rock star references. That was especially odd in that the comics and interpreters gathered three hours before the first show to discuss what kinds of jokes were appropriate.)

Willie Randolph, who flew down from San Jose for the first show and had to fly back to perform that night, closed his set the way he has for years: using a silent radio device that he has reprogrammed to display a series of jokes.

The intro scrolling across the screen always reads “closed-captioned comedy” and--as Randolph starts moving with a cool swagger--the device always displays the phrase “ghetto blaster for the hearing impaired.” Still, it played as though it had been customized for the show, and the crowd loved it.

Similarly, Fred Greenlee chose some particularly apt material from his act, including his bit on hearing-ear dogs. (Speculating on the training process, he said, “I assume you get a bunch of dogs together and teach them charades.”)

But he went a step further, first by electing not to use the microphone, then by actually addressing issues particular to the show and the crowd. (“How do you feel about all handicapped people being lumped under the same logo?”)

In keeping with his overall approach to stand-up comedy, Greenlee had taken a rather cerebral and adventurous tack. And, to hear him tell it, performing the show wasn’t exactly a breeze in the first place.

“It was very difficult to do,” Greenlee, who has appeared on “The Tonight Show,” said afterward. “The concentration level that you have to have--it ain’t easy. It wasn’t a walk in the park.”

He noted that the difficulty was compounded because most of the relevant premises and jokes had already been used by the time he closed the show. And, he explained, it was slightly disorienting to be performing while the audience looked away to watch Harris.

“That was an odd sensation . . . ,” he said. “Like I said, the show was very hard to do. But I’m glad I was here, and I’m glad we were able to put it together.”

The members of the audience seemed to feel the same way. Sharma Ellis, 27, said she “liked everything” about the show, but singled out Randolph’s silent radio routine as her favorite bit. Although it wasn’t her first experience with stand-up comedy, Ellis--who drove in from Northridge--said it was the best.

“I went once a long time ago with a hearing friend, but there was no interpreter on stage,” she said, signing as Dunn translated. “My hearing friend interpreted that show, but this was much better.”

Others shared Ellis’ view that having an interpreter on stage was the crucial factor. Santa Ana residents Carl Farnsworth, 41, and Rennie Montes, 37, had never been to a comedy club but agreed that the interpreters made all the difference.

“I never wanted to go before without (there being) an interpreter,” Farnsworth said, also signing while Dunn translated, as did Montes. “But now, with an interpreter, I have an opportunity to come and enjoy it. And I enjoyed it very much.”

These and other folks were absolutely beaming, and there was more than a little emotion running through the room. In fact, Laff Stop manager Taylor was visibly moved after a young man came up and thanked her for the show.

“It was wonderful. He said, ‘I always wanted to do this, to come and see comedy just like regular people.’ Then he said, ‘My heart is on the ceiling.”’