COMEDY GIG OF THE WEEK

Jackie Mason tonight and tomorrow The Embassy Rooms, London W1

According to Jackie Mason, if John Glen, the astronaut, were Jewish, his wife would never have let him go into orbit - unless she were allowed to go too.

This is typical of Mason's take on the universe. This former rabbi has elevated the Jewish joke to an art form, in a world populated almost entirely by Jewish mothers and sons. A veteran of the Borscht Belt comedy circuit, he is endlessly inventive, seeing everything from Hillary Clinton's marital problems to gays in the military through his own idiosyncratic filter.

Criticised by some for his defiantly non-PC world view, Mason is nevertheless one of comedy's true originals. You can catch this old fashioned fast- talking wise-cracker, here to warm up his brand new Broadway show.

The Embassy Rooms, London W1 (0171-413 1777) tonight and tomorrow

James Rampton