DeGeneres, Pollak offer laughs in abundance at MCA

Saturday night’s comedy showcase at the Maine Center for the Arts wasn’t everything everybody had hoped for.

Co-headliners Ellen DeGeneres and Kevin Pollak both seemed somewhat disappointed looking out into the hall, which was slightly more than half full, and both improvised jokes about the handful of people in the balcony. DeGeneres joked, “This can’t be everyone who lives here.”

In turn, the audience, while thoroughly entertained, didn’t offer up sustained ovations after either performer. Also awkward gaps of silence punctuated each set.

DeGeneres, who performed the evening’s opening set, was the better received of the two, keeping the crowd laughing with her offbeat, observational humor. She touched on everyday events most people can identify with.

One major topic was her fear of flying: “I have to travel, because you won’t come to me … They don’t have to fly so high. Those pilots are just showing off. They should fly just above the ground, just high enough to miss the animals.”

She also offered historical perspectives: “In the ’70s, we lost our minds, and allowed anyone to have a hit record. The BeeGees were huge. I rest my case. They sounded just like chimpanzees.”

DeGeneres also used her expressive face and rubbery limbs to good use, whether impersonating a fish in a bowl or acting like a person singing along with the radio in the car. She’s just beginning to take wing as an actress, with a midseason replacement series on ABC, and those tools should serve her well.

Pollak is already quite in demand as an actor, with roles in “Avalon,” “Indian Summer,” “L.A. Story,” “Ricochet” and “A Few Good Men.”

That his energies have been focused in another area recently showed Saturday night, as his set was nearly identical to that he performed on an HBO special from a few years back.

Pollak showed off his skills as a top impressionist, impersonating Ross Perot, Bill Clinton, George Bush, Peter Falk as Columbo, Alan Arkin, Jack Nicholson and Dudley Moore.

On Perot: “I really loved his meaningless analogies: (in character) `The economy is like peanut butter. If you feed it to a horse and he chews on it, it’ll look like he’s talking.”

Some of Pollak’s material just didn’t connect with the crowd, such as one bit about kung fu actor Jeff Speakman: “What kind of a name is Speakman for an action hero? The kung fu Jew. `Stop with the kicking! Stop with the kicking.’ ”

Pollak’s talent was undeniable, but his act needs some updating. Then perhaps audiences will appreciate him more.