Just what is it that separates childrens’ entertainer the Great Zucchini from all the lesser zucchinis out there? Why is he able to charge hourly rates comparable to those of K Street lawyers? Watch him in action: As he moves from gag to gag, the children seem to never stop laughing. That’s because of the Great Zuke’s cadence. There’s always a joke going down. Even when he’s digging into his bag of tricks, he’s likely to be pulling some stunt behind his back, like setting off a miniature potty that pisses out a stream of water and gets ’em going every time. Another possibility is that the Great One just connects with children and lives for their laughter, a picture that surely jibes with the portrait painted by Washington Post writer Gene Weingarten in one of the paper’s most memorable moments.

THE GREAT ZUCCHINI PERFORMS AT 10 A.M. AT DC IMPROV, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. $8. (202) 296-7008.