COMEDY REVIEW : J.J. Wall’s Bland Act Has Fun Moments of Improvisation

J.J. Wall seems like a very nice man.

And if that sounds like the kind of comment a mother would make to her daughter about a pleasant but unremarkable and slightly boring suitor, you’re reading the message loud and clear.

Actually, headlining Tuesday at the Irvine Improvisation, Wall turned in a much stronger set than in past appearances there. But that’s pretty relative. No one’s going to accuse Wall, even at his best, of being on the cutting edge of stand-up.

For one thing, much of his material is bland, tedious and unfunny. Hey, we might sit through a long, labyrinthian story--about staggering in to your parent’s house after a night of collegiate boozing, or about the behavior and chatter of an 87-year-old barfly-- if there’ a huge payoff. But if there’s little or no discernible payoff, you’re just trying our patience.

Wall opted to spend an uncharacteristically disproportionate amount of time striking up conversations with numerous members of the crowd--for better and worse.

Worse, because that kind of audience stuff, as often is the case, merely served to mask the woeful lack of strong material.

Better, because it was wise for Wall to mask most of his material.

Besides, occasionally his exchanges with the crowd conversations were quick and witty. Briefly interviewing some folks near the stage, Wall learned that a man named Bob was “a title searcher.” He moved on to a guy seated adjacent to Bob, found out his name was John, then asked what he did for a living. John replied, “Same thing.”

“Same thing he does?” Wall responded instantly. “Well, then I would say at least one of you is unnecessary. . . .”

The next chat was with Gary, who allowed that he works as a waiter at TGI Fridays. Wall: “Oh, a chain restaurant. So you actually have a future. No, I mean that’s like something where you could go from being a waiter to being a . . . waiter in another place.”

All this may have been funnier in the club than on paper--and he relied on mostly stock responses that Wall has probably used dozens of times. But a subsequent chat, with a guy named Larry, demonstrated that Wall is adept at truly spontaneous reactions--situations he couldn’t have prepared for--and that he possesses that rare comedian’s trait: the willingness to let someone else get the laugh.

Wall was just starting to address Larry when he spotted, on his table, a copy of the book “I’m OK, You’re OK.” Mock-appalled, Wall instantly blurted out: “Being into pop psychology is one thing, but outdated pop psychology?”

He then asked Larry, “What have you learned from it so far?”

Without missing a beat, Larry answered, “That I’m OK.” This drew a huge laugh. Which seemed to be, uh, OK with Wall.

A few other aspects of Wall’s show at the Improv involved genuine improv, notably his signature closing piece, wherein he solicits suggestions of phrases from the audience and turns them into the key lyrics of a song he composes on the spot.

Given Tuesday’s phrases--”dancing nude by Stonehenge,” “PMS,” “just glue,” “sex with Tupperware,” “Teen-Age Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “handcuffs--you don’t know one,” “Exxon oil slick” and “condoms”--this was no small accomplishment.

There were other bright spots in Wall’s set that didn’t involve creating something from talking with the crowd so much as saying things that were customized for the crowd.

“How many natives of Irvine do we have here this evening?” he asked partway into the 52-minute show. “Irvine has always been to me--and will remain--the most amazing real estate miracle in the United States. (Affecting a snooty voice): ‘We’ll sell you the house, but not the land underneath. No, no, no. If we sold you that land, chaos would ensue. You might want to paint your house some color other than earth tones.’ ”

Pretty good: Aware, insightful, clever. But it’s precisely this kind of bright spot--along with the creative, keen mind behind his improvised song and the quick wit reflected in the crowd exchanges--that makes you wonder what would happen if Wall followed a more rigorous stand-up work ethic.

It would certainly boost his act a notch or three from pleasant but unremarkable and slightly boring.

Headlining a solid bill that also includes Steve Briscoe and Greg Proops, Wall continues at the Improv through Sunday.

The Improv is at 4255 Campus Drive, Irvine. Show times: 8:30 p.m. Thursday and Sunday, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, 8 and 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Tickets: $7 to 10. Information: (714) 854-5455.