Groundlings Keep the Laughs Rolling

The Groundlings have the unpredictable art of comedy down to a nearly perfect science. In “I’m Not Just the President, I’m Also a Groundling,” at the group’s handsomely remodeled facility, this formidable laugh laboratory concocts an explosively hilarious evening.

Don’t be misled by the title. There’s only one politically oriented sketch on the bill, but it’s choice. As rival politicos at a public debate, Steven Cragg and Jim Wise spout splenetic double-talk, their fury rising despite the fact they are saying exactly the same thing.

Wise scores again as a geeky wedding entertainer badly in need of a potty break. As a poet doing his first public reading after a decade-long bender, Cragg converts risky material into solid laughs.

Director Deanna Oliver keeps the show’s improv segments running smoothly, despite (on this occasion) a difficult audience volunteer. Compelling comic characterizations include Maggie Bairds as a drunken society matron and Michael McDonald as the creepiest kid on Earth. The performances are all funny, but John Crane’s riotous turns as a bizarre lineup suspect and the frazzled father of quintuplets get the hugest guffaws of the show.

* “I’m Not Just the President, I’m Also a Groundling,” Groundling Theatre, 7307 Melrose Ave. Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 8 and 10 p.m. Indefinitely. $17.50. (213) 934-9700. Running time: 2 hours.