When the leaves fall, the laughs rise again

Nowhere is the influx of new students felt more deeply than in the comedy business. After a season where the headliners head to the summer theaters and a lot of the top local comics take time off, the autumn is rejuvenating - a comic's spring.

Two homegrown comics - the dry, droll twins - are the tops of the fall comedy season: Steven Wright, at the Orpheum on Oct. 17, and Jonathan Katz, at the Regattabar on Oct. 1 and 2.

It always seems that life in any lane is too fast for Wright. While many comics spit out jokes at the speed of light, the laconic Wright asks, "What's the speed of dark?" He told Time Out magazine that he feels like he's from Vermont in the 1870s. And he wasn't joking.

Wright has been a patient on "Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist," Jonathan Katz's animated television series, and it would be great to see them onstage together - a Celebrity Death Match - with Wright and Katz just letting offbeat observations fly across the ring. It would certainly be the slowest match in history.

If you haven't seen Katz in person, get your tickets early. The good doctor doesn't make that many house calls.

Luv in bloom

While the Budster, Bud E. Luv, might object to the comedy designation, he's one of the best. Luv, who claims to have discovered everything from Sammy Davis Jr. to disco, likes to be taken seriously for his inestimable contributions to popular music. But his fabulous outfits - more sequins than Liberace - and vocal stylings - a mix of George and Tom Jones - are as funny as they are tuneful. He'll be at the fashionable Regattabar with a full orchestra on Oct 30 and 31.

The Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall Marketplace has an impressive fall lineup with Wendy Liebman (Sept. 17-18), Dane Cook (Sept. 23-26), Dave Chappelle (Oct. 15-16), and Pauly Shore (Oct. 22 and 24), Robert Schimmel (Nov. 5-6), and Bill Maher (in for one show on Nov. 13).

Liebman, who's also spent some time on Dr. Katz's animated couch, is the queen of the one-and-a-half-liner. She delivers the punch line, quickly followed by an additional rejoinder. "I was flying back, and there was this guy sitting next to me, and I could tell he really wanted me ... to shut up ... because I'm chatting and chatting, and he's busy ... flying the plane."

When Jay Leno took over "The Tonight Show," Liebman was the first comedian he invited to appear with him. Cook, who always has something new, was one of the brightest stars at last year's Comics Come Home concert with Denis Leary.

Look for Steve Sweeney, the Cal Ripken Jr. of Boston comedy, virtually everywhere. He'll play Dick Doherty's Comedy Escapes in the area, and he's headlining at the Boston Comedy Connection on Oct. 29 and 30. He's also got a great gig on Sept. 24 at Symphony Hall, performing a golf skit in honor of Arnold Palmer with his able assistant, Bill Murray.

The Comedy Studio at the Hong Kong in Harvard Square, the most forgiving club in the area - it's one of the few clubs where comics laugh at one another's jokes - continues to push the comedy envelope.

Check out Dr. Tim McIntire and the Thursday Night Fights and weekends, which often produce a mixture of mayhem and surprise guests. It's where the up-and-comers meet the down-and-outers.

Up and running

Dick Doherty, fresh from Hong Kong (the place, not the club), is up and running for the fall. Doherty's clubs are one of the best places to see new, developing talent learning from the vintage Boston comics.

He's nurtured many careers, including two of the area's best newcomers - Katie Grady and Lauren Verge. Check out the open-mike nights at Remington's on Sundays for an up-close view of the most courageous new comics.

Local talent, great sausages, and Route 1 kitsch gather at Mike Clarke's Giggles in Saugus. A solid family and young-adult club, Giggles is home to many of the best comics, including Mike's brother Lenny Clarke (Sept. 17-18), Mike McDonald (Sept. 24-25), Kevin Knox (Oct. 1-2), and Frank Santorelli (Oct. 15-16).

Don't forget the Comedy Palace at Grill 93 in Andover, which consistently mixes top local talent with national acts. Rich Ceisler (Sept. 17-18) and Jackie Flynn (Sept. 24-25) definitely will serve up prime rib-ticklers. Stop at Nick's for comedy, on Warrenton Street in the Theater District. The Comedy Stop continues to feature an eclectic mix of veteran and rookie comedians.