COMEDY NOTES : A Best-Of Way to Ring in a Crazies New Year

The Orange County Crazies are continuing their New Year’s Eve tradition of “Orange Lang Syne,” a compilation of their best sketches and segments from years past. The night begins with free refreshments at 9 p.m.; the entertainment will start about an hour later and should run till about 12:30.

All seats are $25, and any money left over after the troupe pays expenses will go to the Santa Ana Unified School District and the Santa Ana Council of Arts and Culture. The Crazies’ theater is at 115 E. Santa Ana Blvd., Santa Ana. Information: (714) 550-9900.

For caring and giving comedy fans looking to skip the cover charge, the Irvine and Brea Improvs are still accepting new and unwrapped toys for the Orangewood Children’s Foundation.

In return for a gift worth $5 or more, the clubs are offering free admission Sunday through Thursday. The deal, which began Dec. 1, ends Dec. 30.

Nicole Odekirk, general manager of the Irvine venue, said the drive is going well, with about 10 to 15 people a night bringing toys.

“They also need clothes for teen-agers and any kind of sports equipment,” she added.

Orangewood cares for abused and neglected youths from newborns to 18 years old.

Last Saturday’s Kidprov at the Brea Improv drew about 120 children, and Robert Hartman, a regional manager for the chain, said the club will try to keep it going about once or twice a month, depending on demand.

“Vic Dunlop did ‘Make Me Laugh,’ which was the highlight,” Hartman said. “The magician did a great job, too.”

Top comics in town this week include Steve McGrew at the Brea Improv and Rocky LaPorte (See review, F2) at its Irvine counterpart.

McGrew, perhaps best known for his pompadour ‘do, was a onetime editorial cartoonist for the Houston Chronicle who entered comedy in the late ‘70s, about the same time he got divorced. “Cheaper than therapy,” says the now-happily-remarried comic.

The cable-TV veteran cut his teeth with the likes of the late Sam Kinison and Bill Hicks, but his comedy eschews their edge. He prefers to apply his wry thinking to politics, family, children and dumb pets, among other things. His run ends Friday night.

The Brooklyn-born LaPorte is a blue-collar comic who moved to Chicago and, when he wasn’t boxing professionally, drove an 18-wheeler for a living. Along the way he also managed to get shot three times and stabbed twice.

With this wellspring of experience, LaPorte turned to a stand-up career in 1988. He continues tonight and Friday.

Both Improvs, by the way, will be closed Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.