Something to smile about

IT’S FAIR to say that since his sitcom Seinfeld ended in 1998, Jerry Seinfeld has not really wanted to do that much.

He has voiced animated films such as Bee Movie, done a few ads for Microsoft, authored a children’s book or two, and appeared in Curb Your Enthusiasm with his old Seinfeld writing partner Larry David. But all of these have had the air of diversions, not proper jobs. And with an estimated $800m in the bank courtesy of the most successful sitcom of all time, who could blame him?

The mistake is to think that because Seinfeld isn’t working much on screen, he’s not working. He sees himself as a jobbing stand-up, sometimes in New York dive bars, sometimes in stately pleasure domes like his upcoming gig at Dublin’s O2.