Jackie Mason Gives Insults a Bad Name : Theater review: His ‘Politically Incorrect’ show at the Can~on includes solid zingers but also some juvenile humor.

On opening night of “Jackie Mason: Politically Incorrect,” Tuesday at the Can~on Theatre, the comic devoted a big chunk of his routine to the O.J. Simpson trial. Even though almost every comic in town does similar jokes these days, it was still the liveliest part of the evening--an indication of how predictable the rest of Mason’s material was.

“I would never say the man is guilty,” Mason coyly offered, before beginning a long rap predicated on the assumption of Simpson’s guilt. This illustrated one of Mason’s favorite techniques--disclaiming ill intent before unleashing a stream of invective. Elsewhere in the evening, Mason also declared, “I’ve never insulted a minority in my life,” yet insult-flinging--often at minorities--is one of his chief claims to fame.

Mason’s Simpson jokes included a few solidly crafted zingers, but they sounded especially sharp on Tuesday because Simpson attorney Robert Shapiro sat in a prominent position on the aisle. “Know who the real murderer is?” Mason asked. “Shapiro!” Whereupon the audience tittered so much that Mason acknowledged Shapiro’s presence, and the routine acquired the in-crowd buzz of a roast. To Mason’s credit, he appeared to pull no punches, despite Shapiro’s presence, giving the material an edge that it otherwise lacked.

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By contrast, Mason’s jokes at the expense of Puerto Ricans included the line: “Are there any Puerto Ricans here at all? No? Then let’s tell the truth.” Ethnic jokes become twice as cheap and unsavory when the comic purposefully calls attention to the apparent absence of anyone from the stereotyped ethnic group, so that “we” can all feel free to laugh at “them” behind their backs.

Not that Mason spares his own, of course. When in doubt about what to say next, he always falls back on Jewish jokes or Jew/gentile comparisons. Some of these are funny, but some are gratuitous and witless. Claiming that violent TV doesn’t provoke real violence, Mason asked us if TV-watching had ever prompted us to choke anyone--but then “maybe you had a good reason. Maybe you’re married to a Jewish woman.”

While discussing affirmative action, he noted that Jews are under-represented in professional basketball, welding, hockey, rodeo and jockeying--because, he claimed, Jews don’t want these jobs. He offered a different comic riff to explain each Jewish aversion. The first couple of these worked, but the shtick was awfully repetitive by joke number five. To be fair, the program states that Mason is trying out material for his next Broadway engagement, so perhaps he’s trying out all five jokes to see which one or two get the biggest laughs.

Much of the first part of his show consisted of cracks about affirmative action and other cases of oppressed groups seeking compensation. Mason carefully agreed that the groups were unfairly oppressed but questioned whether “reverse discrimination” is the answer. It’s a provocative attitude--though not as “politically incorrect” as it once was. And Mason too often fell back on overstated generalizations.

Following intermission, Mason declared the rest of the show was about President Clinton. He called Clinton names and trotted out a few specifics, but he also wandered far afield, including some ancient lines about Gary Hart and Henry Kissinger. Although his absurdly inflated program bio dubs him an “equal opportunity offender,” Mason didn’t utter a word about Clinton’s potential 1996 opponents.

He missed the mark most flagrantly in his discussion of Attorney General Janet Reno. Criticized by others for her handling of the Waco crisis, Reno is on the hot seat right now and should be a ripe subject for comics of many political stripes. But Mason didn’t mention Waco, or any other substantive criticism. No, he chose to mock Reno for her looks.

It was the kind of commentary you might expect from Beavis or Butt-head, not from this ex-rabbi. An all-purpose goofy/angry face that Mason used whenever he ridiculed someone’s appearance is on that same juvenile level.

* “Jackie Mason: Politically Incorrect,” Can~on Theatre, 205 N. Can~on Drive, Beverly Hills. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Indefinitely. $30-$35. (310) 859-2830. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.