Daniel Tosh at D.C. Improv: Highbrow, Low Blows

Map It:  Farragut North 

NOT TOO LONG AGO, comedian Daniel Tosh was opening at a comedy club in Hermosa Beach, Calif., which doesn’t sound like all that interesting a story. That is, until you find out who the opener was.

Jerry Seinfeld. Jerry. Seinfeld. Seinfeld, top comedian and former sitcom superstar, wanted to try out some new material — to the complete surprise of the crowd.

"He's such a good guy, so funny," Tosh said. "It was really neat to work with him and go on stage after him. And I make light of it. I think the first thing I said when I walked on stage was, 'Amateur hour's over. Am I the only one who wished it was Kramer here?'"

And imagine your luck — the man who Seinfeld opened for will be performing through Sunday at the Improv in Washington, a city that Tosh describes as a very strong comedy town that allows him to be a little more obscure than most places do. "I definitely feel I can take much bigger chances there then I would if, let's say, I was in Atlanta," Tosh said.

That is the kind of freedom that he's not afforded in some places — places where he's threatened post-show.

"You can do an hour and a half of the most ridiculous nonsense comedy, but do one joke that someone can directly relate to that's not an even-keel type person, and you flip the switch and they go crazy," Tosh said. "I've never been hit. I've definitely been threatened. I love the person who comes to a comedy club who doesn't want to hear jokes or sarcasm."

Of course, Tosh's humor is wonderfully raunchy, yet also tasteful and insightful. He'll be performing some of the old favorite jokes while trying out some new ones, possibly including one about what Tosh describes as the greatest actor of all time — the girl who plays the jailbait on "To Catch a Predator" episodes on NBC’s "Dateline."

"It's an 18-year-old actress that is playing a 13-year-old girl to lure in pedophiles and rapists," Tosh said. "Basically, as an actor, I can imagine the director, 'OK, your motivation is not to get killed and we're going to need this in one take.' She's probably got a parent at home going, 'Oh, you're really good, I really wanted to molest you.' I just think that is typical of Hollywood. Someone auditioned for that and was excited when they got it."

And if that joke offends you, and you feel like threatening him, he's not all that worried about it.

"I don't take it seriously, because I'm not going to ever pay for security. So I just assume that nobody will ever do anything."

» D.C. Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave NW, Thu., 8:30 p.m., Fri. & Sat., 8 & 10:30 p.m.; Sun. 8 p.m., $17-$20; 202-296-7008. (Farragut North)