Steve Martin Performed Stand Up; First Time in 35 Years
Steve Martin loses bet to Seinfeld, has to perform comedy as Seinfeld opening act, the internet explodes.
As the audience waited patiently for the opening act at the Beacon Theater last week, They had no idea the surprise they were in for. “Please welcome Jerry’s very special guest …Steve Martin.”
Jerry Seinfeld recently had Martin on an episode of “Comedians in Cars getting Coffee” and while Martin didn’t “lose a bet to Seinfeld” as he mentioned when he hit the stage at the Beacon Theatre, there was no doubt that it was a favor to make Jerry happy, and in turn a gift Jerry then gave to his audience.
Steve Martin is a comedy legend, even though he hasn’t performed stand up comedy in thirty five years. That is when you know your legacy has staying power. Martin walked away from stand-up at the pinnacle of his career. He had developed a unique stage persona, complete with banjo and biting wit, played masterfully as dumb jokes, sold out theatres, and walked away. That was who Steve Martin the comedian was, a cheesy guy who knew he was cheesy, the audience knew he was cheesy and yet the character he played was so spot on, it worked.
As if he had never left, he slid right back into the character. “I’ll be honest with you, right off the top, because I’m a little upset with the Beacon Theatre,” one joke began. “I was backstage and I used the restroom. And there was a sign that read, ‘Employees Must Wash hands.'” Pause. “And I could not find [pause] one employee [pause] to wash my hands.
Sure, Steve Martin is going to get some leeway from a comedy audience that was picking its jaw off the floor for the first two minutes of his set, but based on reports of the event, there was no denying Steve Martin still had it. There was also no denying that the people who were there, Later in the show, Seinfeld asked the audience to give one more hand to Steve Martin and added, “That is really the thrill of my career,”
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