Seinfeld comes to town

10/10/2003

It's been five years since his TV show ended its eight-year run on NBC, and two years since he last packed the house at the Stranahan Theater with a new stand-up act. Tonight Jerry Seinfeld brings his wry observations back to Toledo for a pair of shows at the Stranahan.

Much like the Brooklyn-born comedian's sitcom, Seinfeld, which was famous for being “a show about nothing,” his stand-up routine focuses very little on politics or current events, relying instead on the comic's amusing take on the absurdities of everyday life. And unlike many comedians, Seinfeld's act is free of profanity.

All he does is stand there in his well-tailored suit and employ a crisp wit and impeccable timing to find humor in everything from answering machines to divorces to babies. (He has two youngsters of his own, a 2-year-old girl and a boy who's almost 1.)

When the 49-year-old Seinfeld first returned to stand-up comedy after ending his show - the final episode in 1998 was the fifth-highest-rated TV program of all time - there were those who wondered how funny he could be without the support of lovable loonies such as George, Kramer, and Elaine. As his audiences have discovered since then, he's plenty funny on his own.

Jerry Seinfeld appears tonight in the Stranahan Theater, 4645 Heatherdowns Blvd., at 7 and 9:30. Few seats are available. Tickets are $47 to $77, from the Stranahan box office, 419-381-8851, and Ticketmaster locations.