The Metropolis

Yes, 90 minutes of Jerry Seinfeld is worth £75 pounds, actually

Matt Tomiak | Tuesday 7 June, 2011 15:39

To the uninformed outsider, the clamour for Jerry Seinfeld’s first UK live show in 12 years at London’s O2 Arena must seem a bit bemusing. The observational crux of his act – marriage, child-rearing, the British climate and new-fangled technology – are hardly cutting edge in 2011, and with ticket prices starting at a hefty £75, the demand must be even harder to fathom.

Those in the know, however – and there are almost 20,000 of us in the house tonight – are acutely aware that the cynics who compare Seinfeld’s reflections to, say, the folksy ruminations of Michael McIntyre are guilty of a disservice as grave as likening Jimi Hendrix to Lenny Kravitz.

How can a multi-millionaire comic icon still pick apart the minutiae of everyday 21st century life? Well, even if he is employing an army of minions to analyse pop cultural ephemera on his behalf, the 57-year old New Yorker remains a supremely empathetic performer.

A 90 minute set certainly delivers bang for the (not inconsiderable) buck; one of the evening’s most physical skits, reflecting how the battery charge levels of a mobile phone reflects its owner’s outward demeanour, is a particular highlight. The point at which he fantazies about picking up a magazine and opening it in the face of a discourteous Blackberry addict and drawing attention to an article about someone who was ‘MURDERED just for being A TOTAL ASSHOLE!!’ will strike a chord with anyone who has had been forced to compete with electronic gadgets for a dining companion’s full attention.

Similarly, the skewering of the robotic single-mindedness of the coffee shop customer (‘I’m holding a hot beverage; I believe I have the right of way’) is spot-on. After taking a lengthy break from performance, the vast majority of tonight’s set comprises fresh material, although in a riff on culinary experiences, there’s a small lift from the introductory stand-up segment from Seinfeld Season Two favourite ‘The Busboy’ (‘Sometimes you go to a nice restaurant, they put the check in a little book. What is this? The story of the bill?’) that will have gone unnoticed by all but the most fanatical obsessive.

A decade and a half after wrapping up the adventures of Jerry, George, Kramer and Elaine, tonight proves Seinfeld is still absolutely Master of His Domain.

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