Funny for kids — and Mom and Dad too

Parents with younger kids: New Year’s Eve in the club is back on — and it doesn’t mean a puppet show! Ushering in 2011 on a wave of laughs, husband and wife team Bob and Naomi Odenkirk, fixtures in the L.A. comedy scene, are putting on their second annual “Not Inappropriate Show,” and it promises to be a sophisticated yet silly mix of humor for adults and kids alike.

Playing Friday and Sunday at the edgy Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Hollywood, the “Not Inappropriate Show” brings together some of L.A.’s best funnymen (and women) to present a collage of sketch comedy, stand-up and musical skits suitable for kids ages 8 and older.

With proceeds going to benefit 826LA, a nonprofit organization that provides free one-on-one tutoring and writing support to students, this is one comedy show that’s definitely in good taste. And at $12 a ticket, it’s a lot more laughs than “Yogi Bear” for the same price.

Emily Maya Mills, who has seen plenty of comedy while working at the UCB Theatre for the last five years, was impressed with the “Not Inappropriate Show.”

“I definitely got some laughs,” she said of last year’s show. “It’s well-written, well-structured and well-performed, so it can be appreciated by adults.”

The Odenkirks weren’t alone in wanting family entertainment that was actually entertaining, said Mills. “It proved itself to be something that’s oh-so-needed and oh-so-appreciated and sought after, because the families really turned up in droves.”

The couple, proud parents of two children ages 10 and 12, created the show to address a problem that Bob Odenkirk said they had encountered themselves.

“One thing that happens is you have kids, and, in America, when things are ‘for kids,’ that usually means they’re for 4-year-olds,” he noted. “That means it’s puppets, and it’s incredibly simplistic and it’s not going to entertain even 8-year-olds.”

With a two decade-plus career in comedy, Odenkirk knows and loves the funny stuff, but found that when his children began to show an interest in it a couple years ago, there was a lack of material he could show them. The co-creator of the cult classic sketch comedy series “Mr. Show,” Odenkirk realized that his own oeuvre was out of bounds.

“A lot of things I’ve done you can’t show to kids, I mean, ‘Mr. Show’ — you just have to stop every five minutes, hold their hand and apologize, and try to explain impossible concepts to them, frightening, horrible concepts,” he said.

So, the couple decided to create a new show. Naomi Odenkirk also works in comedy, as a manager, and while watching countless acts, realized that in almost any show there are a few pieces that a 10-year-old could enjoy.

“Naomi’s idea was, let’s get scenes from the Groundlings, a couple scenes from UCB, a stand-up comic who’s got a bit or two, and put them all together and do a charity show in the middle of the day,” Bob Odenkirk said.

According to Odenkirk, what separates this show from other comedy for kids is that “none of this stuff was written for kids. It was all just part of regular, nutso comedy shows. But none of it is inappropriate.”

For example, last year, Groundlings regulars Stephanie Courtney and Edi Patterson sang an addled anthem as the All Women’s Concussion Support Group to uproarious response. Odenkirk said this year’s show will bring a new batch of material, including his own sketch as a clueless politician.

Although the parents might get the politics, he said, “The kids will get that the guy is an idiot, and that his plans are silly.”

What’s not silly is the Odenkirks’ outreach to 826LA, which Bob said came not only from knowing 826 founder and author Dave Eggers, but also from seeing there was a shared sensibility between the show and the literacy organization.

Joel Arquillos, executive director of 826LA, agreed, saying that comedians, musicians and artists have been frequent supporters of the organization since its inception.

When asked whether he foresaw more partnerships between 826LA and the L.A. comedy scene, Arquillos said, “We sure hope so. Not only do these folks help us raise funds for our programs, but they also help spread awareness about our work and that in turn brings in more volunteers.”

For now, the Odenkirks plan to keep the “Not Inappropriate Show” an annual affair, but the kids at 826LA would surely be happy to hear that Bob Odenkirk has got their backs when he says, “Ten-year-olds can understand concepts that are more complex than the Three Little Pigs, you know.”

Not Inappropriate Show

Where: UCB Theatre, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood

When: 4 p.m. Friday and Sunday

Price: $12

Info: (323) 908-8702; losangeles.ucbtheatre.com or email to not.inappropriate@gmail.com

daniel.siegal@latimes.com