Welcome Back, Platypus

by Frank Halperin

Comedy

Upon paying a no-minimum visit to the Richard wing within the hallowed halls of comedy, one would encounter the volatile, precedent-setting Pryor, the neurotic Lewis, the acidic Belzer and, verily, Bensonhurst's fast-talking Platypus Man of pointed observation, that man called Jeni. He is comedy's clutch hitter, this Richard Jeni, standup's Mr. Reliable, who's been around long enough to be a panel guest on Carson, play Jim Carrey's best pallie in The Mask and tape several successful concert showcases for cable, including his most recent HBO special, A Big Steaming Pile of Me. A random sampling of his Greatest Bits CD proves that he can riff on everything from the most dreaded malady suffered by guys (Exploding Scrotum Syndrome) and gals' irrepressible need for moisture to the wispy warblings of Christopher Cross ("he always sounds like he's driving by").

Last week, after City Paper provided his 11 a.m. wake-up call in Buffalo, Jeni demonstrated his knack for being "on" even before he had a chance to hit the head: When asked if the hotel staff left a mint under the pillow, he replied, "No, but there's a turkey leg on the nightstand." Quick wit notwithstanding, he testified that the process of creating material to be laughed at is hardly a laughing matter. "I figured out that for every 30 hours that I work on new stuff — thinking up new ideas, trying it out in clubs, watching the videotaped performance and refining it, about one minute will stay in the act," he says. "Because with standup, it can't be a little funny, it can't be mildly amusing, it's got to be real funny. If you watch any comedian that makes you laugh, they're getting a good-size laugh every 20 to 30 seconds." Keswick audiences can therefore expect a premium White Glove set, buffed and hot-waxed to perfection. The venue is a Welcome Back, Jeni vehicle for that same old place that he laughs about. (Trivia: He went to the high school shown in the opening sequence of Kotter.) "The last time I played Philly was at the Keswick," he says, "and here it is, only 10 years later, and I'm coming back. I must have been a hit."

Richard Jeni, Fri., May 6, 8 p.m., $29.50, with Kevin Meaney, Keswick Theatre, Easton Road and Keswick Avenue, Glenside, 215-572-7650.