COMEDY REVIEW : Collins Gets Physical at the Improv : Not daring but likable, he does a lot with his rubbery face and loose limbs while playing up his fast-talking, New York roots.

If comedy were a baseball game, Bobby Collins would be one of those all-round players. He may rarely hit one out of the park, but he covers all the bases and connects with almost every swing.

The line on Collins, who’s at the Improv here through Sunday, is that he’s primarily a physical comic, and he does tend to do a lot with that rubbery face and those loose limbs. Watch him imitate his elderly father walking through the mall and you get an idea of his skills: The bit is sharply observed, animated by both affection and bewilderment that this could be happening to his dad.

Collins’ physicality rarely is an end in itself, though. Mostly, it’s used to embellish his self-effacing, shaggy dog tales. A good example was his opening bit Wednesday: Playing his New York roots to the hilt, Collins talked about coming to California and deciding to try a 10K run.

“Ten K. What’s that, kilos?” He said he felt pretty good--for the first mile or so. Then he lost his ability to form vowels, which was a problem when those peppy West Coast guys tried to strike up a conversation. Finally, he felt like a stroke victim, one side still pumping away like an Olympic champ, the other flailing like a stray strand of spaghetti.

Despite the emphasis on the fast-talking, New York stuff, Collins is above all a nice guy, especially for a stand-up comic. He’s likable, he’s professional, he delivers. For someone who’s never been to a comedy club before, a Collins show could make an ideal first outing.

The downside, for avid comedy watchers, is the lack of surprise or daring. Collins does his thing on very traditional comedy turf--New York vs. California, flying, first babies, dogs, Depends commercials--and while he can be very entertaining, the material is rarely memorable.

He did stray briefly into topical material with some thoughts on the civil disturbances in Los Angeles, managing to put a semi-fresh spin on the oft-expressed bewilderment caused by rioters burning down their own neighborhoods.

“I’m from New York. I don’t mind a good riot. But wasn’t there one guy who said, ‘Hey Joey, we live here. Why don’t we get in cars and go to another neighborhood?’ ”

And he expressed bemusement at Los Angeles’ trouble getting rid of Police Chief Daryl Gates. New Yorkers would take a more direct approach, he said: “He won’t step down? Shoot his knee.”

Middle act Gerry Swallow wasn’t as consistent as Collins but did come up with some funny bits, such as his observation of Jehovah’s Witnesses who believe (Swallow says) that only 144,000 people from all of human history will get into heaven. “If you believe that,” he asked, “why are you actively out recruiting people who could bump you off the list?”

A take on those insidiously annoying “Why Ask Why?” beer commercials was especially on the mark. “Why is Dad passed out on the couch again? Why is there hair on the front bumper of his car?” Swallow asked. “Why ask why?”

Bobby Collins, Gerry Swallow and Lee Allen continue through Sunday at the Improv, 945 E. Birch St., Brea. Show times: tonight at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.; Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 8:30 p.m. $7 to $10. (714) 529-7878.