©Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Nov. 20, 2003


Theater Review: Laughing Room Only
By Frank Scheck

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - For his seventh (!) Broadway outing, comedian Jackie Mason has decided to try something new by trying something old.

Instead of his usual one-man comedic monologue, he's acting as the host of a musical comedy revue, featuring production numbers and sketches performed by a five-person cast, interrupted periodically by his stand-up routine. Who would have thought that at this point in his career Mason would be emulating the man who caused him such tsuris in his career, Ed Sullivan?

Unfortunately, while the intent is laudable, the execution is mediocre. The songs and sketches in "Laughing Room Only," written by Doug Katsaros (music and lyrics), Dennis Blair and Digby Wolfe (book) -- Mason is credited with "additional material" -- wouldn't have cut mustard on the vaudeville circuit, let alone today on Broadway. Featuring such titles as "Frieda From Fresno" and "Jew Gentile Tap-Off" -- the latter consists of exactly that -- the numbers boast the sort of archaic, stereotype-driven humor that is less politically incorrect than it is simply unfunny. While some of them are takeoffs on Mason's own bits -- the number "Starbucks" is a musical extension of his funny diatribe about the coffee house chain, and "French Chanteuse" seems inspired by his mock attempts at a French accent -- most are simply generic. The worst, perhaps, is "Tea Time," in which Mason, portraying a hapless waiter, is privy to a tireless and endless series of overheard double entendres.

One would have hoped that Mason's own stretches of monologue would well compensate, but the performer seems to have gotten lazy at this point in his career. Too many of his routines seem totally recycled from his earlier shows, including the aforementioned bit about Starbucks, as well as routines lampooning Indian cab drivers and the Broadway musical "Titanic." While the comedian is still hilariously funny -- the line about opera houses being "a bedroom for rich Jews" is priceless -- it's hard not to think that he simply didn't bother to come up with sufficiently fresh material for this outing. When he deals here with topical events, such as the war on terrorism and the situation in Iraq (news - web sites) in particular, he demonstrates that his biting humor has lost little of its punch.

His supporting cast, which includes several Broadway veterans, goes through its paces with the requisite hard-sell energy, but its efforts only go so far. Vaudeville, after all, died for a reason.

Presented by Jyll Rosenfeld, Jon Stoll and James Scibelli in association with Sidney Kimmel, John Morgan and the Helen Hayes (news) Theater Company.

Cast: Jackie Mason, Ruth Gottschall, Cheryl Stern, Darrin Baker, Robert Creighton, Barry Finkel.

Music and Lyrics: Doug Katsaros; Book: Dennis Blair, Digby Wolfe; Additional material: Jackie Mason; Director: Robert Johanson; Choreographer: Michael Lichtefeld; Set designer: Michael Anania; Costume designer: Thom Heyer; Lighting designer: Paul D. Miller; Sound designer: Peter Hylenski.


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