Did Broadway Critics Get Juiced by Jackie Mason: Freshly Squeezed?

After an ill-fated attempt to expand his act into musical theater with last season's Laughing Room Only, Jackie Mason is back doing what he is known for: a solo show. The comedian opened Jackie Mason: Freshly Squeezed at Broadway's Helen Hayes Theatre on March 23. Were critics juiced for the new material?

Here is a sampling of what they had to say:

Kevin Manganaro in his Broadway.com Review: "Fans will either be delighted or appalled to find out that Freshly Squeezed is... well, just more of the same. If Madonna is the Mother of Reinvention, Jackie Mason is the Uncle Morty of Stasis… In Freshly Squeezed, his toothless rants make targets of topics ranging from fad diets to how women never pay the dinner check. Is this in any way timely or relevant? Not at all. Even when Mason sets his sights on usually inflammatory political subjects missing weapons of mass destruction, the Middle East peace process, his punches are bloodless."

Charles Isherwood of The New York Times: "Freshly Squeezed can be seen as a departure of sorts: it's being promoted as a feast of exclusively new material. This is not false advertising. When Mr. Mason launches into his naughty mimicry of an incomprehensible Indian man, he's impersonating a doctor, for once, and not a taxi driver. This is progress! He has also retired from action the well-worn routines about the differences between Jews and gentiles… The new material doesn't quite put Mr. Mason at the cutting edge of today's comedy… But it's Mr. Mason's style and not his material that matters. The intensity of his fans' enjoyment doesn't really correspond to the sharpness or freshness of his observations. For them, Jackie Mason is funny; he doesn't have to act funny."

Clive Barnes of The New York Post: "As the show's title implies, his material is fresh. Lost are the old jokes his regulars had gotten to know so well… If only the new material were as edgy as the old. I found myself missing those wickedly apt Jew/gentile jokes, and much of the political stuff he uses now, post-presidential election, seems a trifle dog-eared. Worse, the way he barrels after his chosen themes with ever-increasing intensity leads him dangerously close to comic overkill. That said, as he roams the stage with a certain portentous stateliness, he can still hit moving targets."

Howard Kissel of The New York Daily News: "The material is indeed new, but the appeal is not really the jokes, some of which are genuinely funny, others only mildly so. It's the delivery that makes Jackie so fascinating--the modulations he gets from his low, almost growly voice, the jerky way he moves his chunky body… Yes, he has made me laugh harder, but I was chuckling all evening long."

Frank Rizzo of Variety: "Although the punchlines may be new for his return to solo work, many of the subjects in this show have been tirelessly and tiresomely tapped by Mason--as well as others. Still, the old pro with impeccable timing and Catskiller instincts manages to deliver a palatable smoothie. While the net effect is a show that will please many, it's unlikely to build much beyond the tried-and-true believers of the world according to Mason."

Justin Bergman of The Associated Press: "In his seventh one-man show on Broadway, Mason delights his fans with the kind of piercing social commentary for which he's famous, as well as the usual bits about rich Jewish women and the differences between Jews and Gentiles. If much of the material seems as though it's been recycled, that's because it just about has. The jokes may change with each show, but the subjects of Mason's ridicule and wrath remain largely the same... Despite its flaws, Mason's brand of comedy will always be part of his charm, which explains why he is still such a top draw at age 74. He's still among the best at delivering a one-liner, and his commentary on society remains sharp and hilarious."

Gordon Cox of Newsday: "There are plenty of Mason fans out there, and they may find this comparatively palatable show more satisfying than his other recent attempts. Jerking his arms like a potbellied robot, Mason even hits on some comedy that will appeal to less adoring audience members. When he tells a ridiculous story about a teaching hospital where 17 med students investigated his prostate, even the Mason-intolerant may find it difficult not to smile."