_..•••••••••••• ■ Arts & Entert SHIRLEE ■ ■ BLOOM ■ ■ ■ • MASON-IC ORDER from page 61 Jackie Mason: "In th y` old days, I used to have to find comedy writers for my routines. Now, I can just stand on stage and read front the pages of the New York Times." By the 1980s and '90s Mason was reg- istering an impressive number of come- backs: several one-man Broadway shows (including the fabulously successful Politically Incorrect), best-selling compact disk recordings, appearances on televi- sion, numerous media interviews and sold-out houses on road trips. Critics recognized him with a special Tony Award for Outstanding Theatrical Achievement in 1989, and he garnered two Outer Critics Circle Awards, Emmy and Ace awards, and even a couple of Grammy nominations. While he hasn't appeared on a Detroit stage for 15 years, this rabbi-turned- comedian played three command per- formances for British royalty — one for the Queen Mother, one for Queen Elizabeth II and another for Prince Charles. In 1995, he was invited to speak at Parliament on American politics, the first person outside of the political realm ever invited to do so. The next year, he was presented with an honorary degree from the Oxford University Debating Society. Only three other individuals throughout history have received this honor: Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy and Jimmy Carter. They can't get enough of Mason at Oxford. That's where they established the Jackie Mason Lectureship in Contemporary Judaic and Hebraic Studies for postgraduate study. Yarnton College at Oxford even awarded Mason an honorary "Fellow in the Humanities" degree in 1995. During the Persian Gulf War, Mason closed his Broadway show to fly to Israel to show his support. Benjamin Netanyahu, then Israel's deputy foreign minister, presented him with an award for "bravery, commitment and valor to the State of Israel." Along with Raoul Felder, Mason writes a monthly political column for ■ I the American Spectator and the Washington Times — two icons of American political conservatism. During his recent month-long run of Much Ado at Toronto's Performing Arts Centre, Mason peppered his largely Jewish audiences with his standard monologue consisting of the following general ingredients: teasing guests sit- ring in front rows; labeling all adver- saries with ungracious epithets; making critical remarks about minority groups, of whom Jews were singled our as the most attractive targets; offering biting criticism of the feminist movement; and targeting the affectation found in high-priced restaurants. And let's not forget the Clinton scan- dals. From Monica Lewinsky through Marc and Denise Rich — you can rest assured, it's all fodder for the fertile mind of Mason. "In the old days, I used to have to find comedy writers for my routines. Now, I can just stand on stage and read from the pages of the New York Times," Mason told the Jewish News in a recent telephone interview. One of the problems in attending a Jackie Mason show is that audiences tend to enjoy Mason's outrageous humor but are inevitably embarrassed to be doing so because the enjoyment is based on the acceptance of stereotypical thinking. Therefore, when going to a Mason evening, as with all stand-up comedians, one must suspend the normal critical faculties and join in the merriment. Part of Mason's comedic technique flows from the disclaimers with which he prefaces much of his fast-paced remarks. He denies vehemently that he harbors any resentment toward any eth- nicity, just before launching into a laughter-provoking assault on Jews — especially Jewish women — Italians and other minority groups. 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