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A CurtainUp Review
Prune Danish
By Miriam Colin
The only thing brand new about this show is the title, which refers to a favorite Jewish confection but seems to harbor no metaphoric meaning. Elyse Sommer's 1999 review of Much Ado About Everything pretty much describes the essence of Prune Danish. Expect a few amusing new caricatures (like the ones about Israeli leaders Sharon and Peres), and a lot of barely updated replays of his equal opportunity brand of insult humor laced with what Elyse described as his "cantorial wisdom." The ever over-sized ego (did you ever read a longer more hyperbolic bio in any Playbill?) and conservatism-fed mean spiritedness have increasingly diminished that wisdom's wit. To give Mason his due, he's a talented caricaturist. His robotic head-shoulder and hand movements capture the essence of his victims with a sharpness akin to Al Hirshfeld's pen strokes. His timing is as on the button as ever and even the show's limited run is smartly timed to fly out of the Royale along with the sunshine bound Snowbirds who adore his shtick even when the comic pastry is saturated with fat that has been standing around too long. Prune Danish is the second solo show starring a comedian, to open on Broadway in the last fortnight. But Say Goodnight Gracie, while not much of a play and also relying on familiar humor and a core audience of old timers, is a touching homage to life and love. Prune Danish is Jackie Mason's homage to Jackie Mason. LINK Much Ado About Everything
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