Solid comedy in Alexander on display this week at Improv

Joe Delaney

Friday, Jan. 19, 2001 | 9:08 a.m.

Harrah's Improv Comedy Club is offering 70 solid minutes of more laughs per minute than we have shared anywhere in many months. The lineup changes weekly. Through Sunday it's Max Alexander as the headliner, comparative newcomer Mike Loftus in the middle and Brian Dunkleman as opener/emcee.

Alexander has reached that extended plateau where the next step could take him into main showroom-star status. He works easily with very smooth transitions, earning nearly one laugh per sentence, enhanced by subtle mime-like facial and body punctuation. Of considerable size, he still gets that point across without resorting to obvious fat jokes.

His film roles include "Punchline," with Tom Hanks, "Roxanne," with Steve Martin and "Man on The Moon," the Andy Kaufman story, with Jim Carrey. Television appearances include "The Practice" and "Matlock." Alexander will open for Tom Jones for a February fortnight at the MGM Grand.

Alexander opened the Improv show with standard material, made fresh by his manner and approach to hotels and buffets, then depicted a person playing a $500 slot machine. Las Vegas weather and holiday weekends got a workout, followed by a very funny explanation as to how "O" got its name. Already hot, he raised the temperature another notch with stories about his mother.

Trapped in the bathroom at his mother's house with nothing to read, a disaster, he picked up one of her Harlequin novels and described its content -- very funny stuff. A shopping trip to a mall with mother, a visit to the doctor, a discussion of diets and suddenly it was time for him to leave and the audience was reluctant to let him go.

Loftus has great potential and admirable poise for someone recently on the scene. His material was political, equally unfavorable to both recent presidential candidates, with excellent depictions, vocally and physically, of various well-known figures. There were times when he revealed that Carrey and Dana Carvey may have been influences.

Dunkleman, as with Alexander and Loftus, is very likable. At present, he shows that he needs more and better material and less reliance on shock words in place of punch lines. He has the stuff. Overall, a very funny week at Harrah's Improv.