COMEDY : Plenty of Wit, Plenty of Volume

Comic Martha Jane has been described as a cross between Lily Tomlin and Bette Midler.

“In other words,” she says, “I’m intellectual but loud.”

The 6-foot-tall, red-haired comedian, who plays the recurring role of Mrs. Luby on the TV series “Lenny,” is appearing at the Laff Stop in Newport Beach on a bill headlined by comic Tim Jones through Sunday.

The Boston-born comic, whose comedy heroes include Tomlin, Jackie Gleason and Margaret Dumont (Groucho Marx’s movie foil), has appeared on such syndicated TV shows as “Comedy Express,” “Comic Strip Live” and “George Schlatter’s Comedy Club.”

During an interview Jane once gave in Canada, a woman journalist noted that women today are looking for men with a sense of humor. Then she asked, “Do you think men are looking for a sense of humor in women?”

Replied Jane: “I think men are looking for women who are naked. If they have a sense of humor, it’s a bonus. But naked is the key word.”

Although she appears in comedy clubs around the country, Jane prefers to stay close to home in Los Angeles so she can be available for acting auditions.

A couple of years ago, she starred in a play written and directed by Sean Penn that ran in an experimental theater. Rehearsals were held at Penn’s house while he was still married to Madonna.

The play’s title? “The Kindness of Women.” Says Jane: “It’s about a guy with marital problems.”

Who: Martha Jane.

When: Thursday, Oct. 18, at 8:30 p.m.; Friday, Oct. 19, at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; Saturday, Oct. 20, at 8, 10 and 11:45 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 21, at 8:30 p.m.

Where: The Laff Stop, 2122 S.E. Bristol St., Newport Beach.

Whereabouts: From the Corona del Mar Freeway, take the Irvine Boulevard/Campus Drive exit and go south one block to Bristol Street.

Wherewithal: $7 to $10.

Where to Call: (714) 852-8762.