Entertainment

Send in these clowns!

For some people, clowns are one rung below mimes and air-guitar zeroes on the ladder of entertainment hell. Well, let the cranks stay home and let the rest of us laugh our heads off at “Old Hats,” one of the funniest shows of the past few years.

Of course it helps that the hats in question are none other than clown royals Bill Irwin and David Shiner, who have finally delivered a follow-up to their 1993 Broadway hit “Fool Moon.”

And while they’ve since gone their own ways — Shiner with “Seussical” and Cirque du Soleil, Irwin in dramatic roles — these two have something special together. Any good actor can put a spin on the classics, but not many can pull gales of laughter out of thin air the way Irwin and Shiner do.

If you caught “Fool Moon,” you know the drill: a series of brilliant physical-comedy vignettes, backed by the musical stylings of an onstage combo. This time around, the idiosyncratic singer-songwriter Nellie McKay and a small band underscore the skits, and perform a selection of her material between.

It’s a treat to hear McKay, looking demure under puffy blond hair, sweetly croon lines like “If we part I’ll eat your heart/So won’t you please be nice.”

She also acts as an MC of sorts, admonishing Irwin and Shiner, “Now boys, be good clowns,” at the beginning.

And technically they are good. Actually, they’re fantastic. At 59 and 62, respectively, Shiner and Irwin have the rubber limbs of much younger men — at one point they literally sink into their oversize pants. In a sequence titled “Mr. Business,” Irwin, an exquisite dancer, duets with himself, projected on an iPad and a back-wall screen.

But these good clowns are also naughty. In “The Debate,” the pair re-enact a political meeting that escalates into chaotic absurdity, as the candidates try to outdo each other by brandishing bald eagles and flashing patriotic underwear.

Even funnier is a magic act in which Irwin happily shimmies in drag as the assistant to Shiner’s ponytailed lounge wizard.

Much of the second act is taken up by “Cowboy Cinema,” essentially a reprise of “The Cinema” from “Fool Moon.” In that segment, Shiner wordlessly directs four volunteers from the audience as they make a silent film.

Director Tina Landau may have wanted to use her editing scissors there: As funny as it is, that bit wears out its welcome. Because, really, who wants to see amateurs, no matter how game, when we could have the two best pros in the business?