The actor-comedian is his own material in "My Big Fat Gay Jewish Comedy Tour," a show that marks a first for Tampa's Improv.
By MARTY CLEAR
Published January 15, 2004
Jason Stuart has run out of patience with those who worry that gay couples threaten the institution of marriage.
"Jerry Falwell's worried about the sanctity of marriage? Please!" he cries in exasperation. "I've been watching Jerry Springer for years, and you guys have screwed marriage up all by yourselves. What could we do to top it?"
By "you guys," Stuart means heterosexuals, a category to which he does not belong.
"It's 2004, straight people," he said in a phone interview from his California home. "If you let us marry each other, we'll stop marrying you."
In fact, when he comes to Tampa this weekend with "My Big Fat Gay Jewish Comedy Tour," he'll become the first openly gay comedian to perform at Tampa's Improv.
That distinction, he allows, doesn't exactly make him another Rosa Parks, and he doesn't think it's overt prejudice that has kept gay comedians out of the local Improv. But, he says, it's a significant barrier that's being broken nonetheless.
"It is a big deal," he said. "I just think they don't think about booking gay comedians. They tend to use a lot of the same people over and over."
This will be Stuart's first Tampa performance, but not his first local appearance. He was in town in 2002 when a film called 10 Attitudes was part of the Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Stuart was the star, co-producer and co-writer of the film, which also featured Jim J. Bullock, David Faustino, Alexandra Paul and Judy Tenuta.
It was 10 Attitudes, apparently, that gave Stuart the gumption to declare himself "the indie film king" in his press materials. His other movie credits include Letting Go, A Day Without a Mexican, the upcoming Kill Switch (with Faye Dunaway, Tony Goldwyn and Sean Young) and What Adam Knows (with Paul Willson from TV's Cheers).
None of them smashed any box office records, but 10 Attitudes won the award for best film at the 2002 Barcelona International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
And Stuart has had some mainstream film exposure too, most notably as a hairdresser in Kindergarten Cop. Stuart also has a fairly impressive list of television credits, including a recurring role on My Wife and Kids last year (he played Dr. Thomas, a gay marriage counselor), a couple of appearances on Will & Grace and one on Strong Medicine.
He likes acting, he says, because he gets to play a lot of different characters. His standup comedy has a different appeal.
"It's about being a gay person and being Jewish, it's about politics and pop culture and about getting older," he said. "It's all about me."
PREVIEW: Jason Stuart's "My Big Fat Gay Jewish Comedy Tour," the Improv, 1600 E Eighth Ave., Ybor City, 8 tonight, 8 and 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $14-$18. Call 813 864-4000 or go to www.tampaimprov.com
