COURTESY PHOTO Jason Stuart

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By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

"I used to be able to look at a man and tell if he was gay -- sometimes -- but I can't anymore," Jason Stuart said.

Jason Stuart In "My Big Gay Jewish Comedy Tour" On stage: 8 p.m. tomorrow through March 16 Where: The Laugh Factory, Queen Kapiolani Hotel Admission: $25 plus two-drink minimum (special rates for students, military and kamaaina) Call: 931-4490

The comedian, calling from a tour stop in Detroit on Friday, opens tomorrow night at The Laugh Factory, a Waikiki venue that opened several weeks ago without formal notice. Its relative obscurity should fade once it becomes Stuart's comedy club showcase. He should shake up this town but good.

The reason being that, as captured on his current album "Gay Comedy Without a Dress," Stuart's stint in Honolulu as part of his "My Big Gay Jewish Comedy Tour" could turn out to be one of the more memorable and edgier stand-ups in recent memory.

The album offers a hilarious, freewheeling look at contemporary America as seen by an imaginative and perceptive man who just happens to be Jewish, an actor, an independent film producer -- oh, and gay. Even though Stuart bills himself as "openly gay," his show seems geared for adults of any and all sexual persuasions.

"I don't talk about details (of gay relationships). ... I keep it light and on a flirtatious basis," he said. Some of his material plays on familiar stereotypes -- gay men gravitating toward careers in hairdressing, interior design, theater and dance. Other sketches evoke the names of gay culture icons, like Judy Garland, Madonna, Richard Simmons, Hillary Rodham Clinton and Elton John. He also puts his personal comic spin on growing up in a "crazy" Jewish family, regional differences across the United States and subjects ranging from porno awards to Disney movies.

"I just do things that interest me, and my goal is to make people have a really good time," Stuart said. "I talk about whatever comes into my head, (and) I use what I have and I use who I am."

Expect him to invite the crowd to ask him about anything -- and to skillfully deflect the obvious stuff, like, no, all gay people don't know each other; no, they don't have the power to magically "recruit" straight males; and no, they can't always tell by looking at another man what his sexual preference is.

For that matter, what does "gay" look like?

"I guess that is (a matter of) perception," he said. "One of my closest friends, Lydia Nicole, is an actress with a 12-year-old daughter, Alexia, and I've been sort of like a godfather and uncle to this girl since she was born. I've gone to a lot of her sport events and school events (with the two of them), and a lot of people think I'm Lydia's boyfriend."

Nicole, known to some for her work in the movie "Stand and Deliver," was seen more recently by film festival audiences in "10 Attitudes," a romantic comedy Stuart starred in and co-produced with director Michael Gallant. Stuart's character, Josh, a 30-something gay man living and working in L.A., is ready to return to his hometown of Cleveland after catching his boyfriend with another man. But a friend bets Josh that he can find "Mr. Right" in 10 dates or less.

Josh accepts the challenge and embarks on his search for a man who is loyal, sexy, has a good job, is "out" to his family and puts three Equals in his coffee in the morning. His search results in encounters with the "attitudes" of the title.

"10 Attitudes" won a Best Picture award at the Barcelona Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and an American release is pending on the completion of a new soundtrack by David Benoit.

Stuart also recently completed a dramatic role in a second indie film, "Letting Go," in which he plays an HIV-positive man who wants to die with dignity.

Getting back to comedy, television audiences know Stuart as Dr. Thomas on Damon Wayans' ABC sitcom "My Wife & Kids." He's also guested on "The Drew Carey Show," "Charmed," "Providence" and "Murder, She Wrote."

He would have also been seen several times on "Will & Grace," if the scenes he appeared in hadn't been cut.

"I did another show of that series since I recorded the album, and also got cut, but this time I was totally prepared," he said. "I played the same character, so I have a recurring character on the show that doesn't exist."

Stuart will celebrate 20 years as a working stand-up in May. He's been an actor for longer than that and got into comedy partly because he thought it would lead to more acting.

"My roots are from being an actor, but my celebrity is from being a comedian."

And as for the title of his album, "Gay Comedy Without a Dress"?

"It seemed like gay men were very interested in drag queens, straight women and lesbians, but it was something new (to have) a regular gay guy doing comedy. I thought that was interesting and I'm just a regular guy doing comedy without a dress."

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