Jackie Mason

They call Jackie Mason the “Equal Opportunity Offender,” because over the course of his outrageous standup comedy act, he’s guaranteed to say something that’ll get under your skin. Then it’s the person in the next seat’s turn. You may not agree with Jackie’s politics, or his views on religion, race and other hot-button topics, but you’ll be laughing so hard you won’t care. For nearly 50 years, Jackie Mason has been one of America’s most recognizable and best-loved comic talents. He honed his acerbic skills and quick tongue in the Borscht Belt, the mostly-Jewish resort area of New York’s Catskill Mountains. In the early 1960s he became one of Ed Sullivan’s most frequent guest performers. To younger audiences, he’s perhaps best-known as the voice of Rabbi Krustofsky on TV’s longest-running comedy series, “The Simpsons.” Ironic, that, because Mason came from a family of rabbis, and was himself ordained in 1958. But he left temple for the nightclub stage. “I was never religious enough to be a rabbi,” he says. “I just did it to please my father. So I felt like a hypocrite. “My conscience was bothering me when I was preaching to people not to fool around with girls. Meanwhile, every time a blonde walked by I’d lose my place. I told them sex is not for them, but for me, it’s perfect.” The differences between Jews and Gentiles form the side-splitting centerpiece of his act (in fact, one the many books Jackie has authored is titled “How to Talk Jewish”). “Did you know that the Jews invented sushi?” he’ll say. “That’s right - two Jews bought a restaurant with no kitchen.” Or: “After the show, all the gentiles are saying ‘Have a drink? Want a drink? Let’s have a drink!’ While all the Jews are saying ‘Have you eaten yet? Want a piece of cake? Let’s have some cake!’” The Lyric Theatre is special to Jackie. He comes to Stuart nearly ear to try out new material for his annual one-man Off-Broadway show, a tradition that began with the Tony-winning “The World According to Me!” in 1986. “There’s a great atmosphere here and a very diverse audience,” he told the Stuart News in 2006. “A lot of people from different walks of life, from different areas of the country. And you get a great barometer, a fabulous perspective of what’s funny - you have enough diversity here to give you a balanced view.” His Lyric Theatre audiences are privileged to hear Jackie’s latest routines before anyone else. “The best way to judge is, how excited does the audience get when it’s over?” he said. “Do they look like they’re relieved? Are they excited that you’re still there, or are they thanking God you went home?”