Vanguard

Issue date: 3/31/08 Section: Entertainment

The swanky elegance of the Saenger Theater may not have been the best venue for Brian Regan's dumbed-down comedy act. Don't get me wrong, Regan was a hit with the audience at Friday night's performance, but that did not make his act any sharper. He relied on simple and unintelligent jokes to bring in the laughs.

Regan seems to build his jokes around his own ignorance - his dislike for reading, his lack of knowledge about art, his inability to speak another language, etc. Perhaps this strikes a cord with most of us because we really do not know much on such topics. However, Regan's act has a great potential to turn away audiences seeking a more intellectually fulfilling type of humor.

Regan also relies heavily on pantomiming and acting on stage. He does have a great ability to use his physicality to his advantage. He can keep a joke running for far longer than it is actually funny by acting out certain parts on stage or using overstated facial expressions.

To his credit, Regan played the audience well; even phrases such as "reading is hard" and "these are some good bananas" brought roaring applause from the crowd. And, Regan did draw a better-than-decent crowd to the Saenger for his one-night performance. The crowd seemed to contain quite a few Regan fans who know the comedian from his stints on Comedy Central.

For me, the highlight of the evening was the opening performance by comedian Jim Colliton. He was an unbilled guest at the theater; his name did not even appear on the programs handed out at the theater doors. In spite of his last minute addition to the show, he still managed to entertain the audience while the audience waited for the appearance of Regan.

Colliton delivered more insightful comedy, with a focus on the humor found in his everyday life. His persona was also more likeable that Regan's own dim-witted onstage presence.

Colliton, who also appeared on Comedy Central, talked about topics such marriage, children and air travel. One particularly chuckle-inducing joke discussed the seemingly illogical limits placed upon air travelers by airport security.

There is just something funny and oddly ironic about being asked to check a nearly empty tube of toothpaste. Perhaps the funniest thing of all is that occurrences like that happen every day in airports across America.

For more information on Brian Regan or Jim Colliton, visit http://www.brianregan.com and http://www.jimwhat.com or http://www.jimcolliton.com.

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