. . . but It Wouldn’t Be Prudent in O.C.

True, comics are having a field day with the recent GOP surge, but Orange County comedy fans probably are going to be left out of the punch lines. Which is pretty much business as usual.

Comedians who venture into Orange County, it seems, tend to check their political humor at the county line. Especially the elephant jokes.

“They’re not bringing it up,” said Robert Hartman, a regional Improv manager based in Brea, referring to Jesse Helms, Newt Gingrich and other members of Washington’s new Republican majority. “I thought they’d be all over that, but I guess they’ve learned to just leave it alone.”

Hartman reasons that’s a result of past performances. Over the years, he has seen comics stranded on stage after making political references that just died in the air.

“If (comedians) want to come back, they have to entertain and make the audience laugh,” Hartman continued. “It’s not their job to educate and enlighten, as opposed to a place like San Francisco, where you need a viewpoint to do well. That’s opposite of what works down here.”

At the county’s other major comedy venue, Nicole Odekirk--general manager of the Irvine Improv, which draws heavily from Irvine, Newport Beach and Costa Mesa--notices much the same thing.

“This club is already so conservative, most comics will stay away from political stuff,” she said. “And if they make a comment, it’s just one or two and then they’ll move on. I don’t think it’ll affect this club. Most comics are very liberal and shy away from it. Jack Coen gets away with it here because he’s so good and does both sides of it. Most political comics just don’t go over here at all.”

From the performers’ side, local funnyman Jerry Mabbott sees much the same adherence to the status quo but believes there is a little room for political potshots if a comic has done his homework.

“I don’t see a big difference since the takeover,” he said. “I just got back from Texas, and there’s a huge difference there. Everybody is nailing the Republicans left and right. I was real happy about it. I don’t do a lot of political stuff in Orange County, but some targets are OK, like Dan Quayle. But you can’t hit Bush too hard. Or Reagan. . . . You can hit Nancy Reagan, but not Barbara Bush--she’s the Quaker Oats guy.”

Mabbott also notices a geographical factor in the political humor equation.

“The farther south you go, the more likely they are to respond with coolness at a hard hit to a Republican. Clinton you can do all you want. In the Brea-Fullerton area, there’s much more of a mix. It’s easier to get laughs. But if you have an audience that’s 90% hard Republican, the other 10% are afraid to laugh.”