COMEDY REVIEW : Ferrari Proves Loud and Powerful in Irvine but Needs a Tuneup

When Doug Ferrari took the stage Tuesday at the Irvine Improvisation Comedy Club, he resembled the stereotypical football-playing, beer-swilling frat boy--and his act came across that way, too.

He is a hulking man, referring to himself at one point as “Dougzilla.” He both sipped and discussed beer, and, initially at least, promoted the party ethic (“Let’s all get drunk”). And he trafficked in a blustery, booming form of humor--dispensed with a highly physical delivery--that could seize attention even over the din of a rockin’ keg party on fraternity row.

It is not an approach that emphasizes stylish verbal flair, poignant pokes into the human condition (his or ours) or trenchant commentary overall. His pieces aren’t typically laced together with telling details. Subtlety may be in his vocabulary, but it is certainly not in his act.

All this isn’t to say that his stentorian silliness lacks the power to amuse; his set definitely didn’t suffer that kind of power shortage. In fact, even when launching one of many bits from lowbrow territory, his commanding presence and big, animated gestures helped those jokes hit high and hard.

For instance, addressing the generational differences between the TV programming and preoccupations of kids now versus when he was a youngster, Ferrari made a reference to Space Invaders, which was neither particularly clever nor timely (considering that it was meant to be contemporary). But then he acted out the movements of the little electronic men, crouching down and scooting across the stage--and the reference became much funnier.

That segment came during a section that also included Ferrari reminiscing about classic cartoons from his day. Among these were the Road Runner, on which he based Doug’s Laws of Reality: “If someone shoots you in the face with a gun, your face is black for a few seconds, and then you’re OK. . . . If you run off a cliff, you can continue running all the way to the other side as long as you don’t look down. . . . The most important law: All animals have unlimited credit accounts at Acme Co.”

Some of his best segments involved observations or admissions that played off--or against--his physical appearance and the personality he projects: the epitome of masculinity, a big, loud guy in a big, loud shirt. You quickly bought it when he briefly portrayed an ESPN addict, easily engrossed in any sportscast, including the likes of “live Australian dwarf-tossing.”

It worked at least as well when he played against type. He acknowledged one area where he doesn’t live up to the mechanically inclined male image but then said he figures he might not be alone: “Any guys want to confess to me tonight they can’t program the VCR? . . . If I want to record something that starts at 9 p.m., I can’t leave the house until 9 p.m. “

He finessed a bigger laugh on that and other punch lines with the very deliberate phrasing and enunciating that often characterize his delivery. His loose, freewheeling manner is deceptive; he knows exactly what he is doing, he works very hard on stage and, a few years back, he won the prestigious San Francisco Comedy Competition, so he is no slouch.

Which makes you wonder why he fools with low-level high jinks, such as punny stuff with the names of presidential candidates or countries (“I always thought Guatemala is what I dipped my chips in.” Ouch .)

And you wonder why the material tied to various aspects of pop culture--which constitutes a big part of his act--is so uneven. On one hand, he threw away a sly aside on Madonna and Sean Penn: “(Penn) will beat up anyone who takes Madonna’s picture; so where does he let her tour? Japan .”

In directing his attention toward Michael Jackson, he played off the title of his recent LP “Bad” and speculated that Jackson’s next album will be called “Even Worse.” It is not only a-less-than-hilarious joke but one that has already been used by pop parodist Weird Al Yankovic for the title of his latest record.

No one is accusing Ferrari of “borrowing” the joke (it is hard to imagine anyone other than Weird Al wanting to claim it), but he may not be paying close enough attention to circulating jokes that are similar to his own.

Heck, he even did a brief bit about wine being packaged in milk cartons that was virtually identical to the one master of ceremonies Rene Sandoval told less than an hour earlier.

That is no way to get invited back to next week’s beer blast.

Heading a bill that also includes Russ T. Nailz and Sandoval, Ferrari continues through Sunday at the Irvine Improv.

The Improvisation Comedy Club is at 4255 Campus Drive, Irvine. Show times: Tonight and Sunday, 8:30 p.m. Friday, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Tickets: $6 to $8. Information: (714) 852-8762.