Steve Martin is famous not just for his comedy, but also for the way his standup career abruptly ended in 1981. Now the comedy legend has returned to the stage to support another illustrious peer: Jerry Seinfeld.
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"I'll be honest with you, right off the top, because I'm a little upset with the Beacon Theatre," Martin joked at the Feb. 18 show, according to Vulture's Jesse David Fox. "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."
Martin responded to the Vulture article in true comedic form:
I'm very flattered by this article, but...https://t.co/gukMt4p4rK— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) February 19, 2016
..but the real joy is watching an almost perfect Internet degeneration of the comments thread. https://t.co/gukMt4p4rK— Steve Martin (@SteveMartinToGo) February 19, 2016
Though he's now known for his extensive career in film and television, Martin rose to fame in the 1970s as an effervescent and original standup comic. But he stepped away from the stage in the early '80s in order to focus more on big screen roles -- and though he told Seinfeld that quitting standup was never a formal decision, he hasn't looked back.
Amazing amazing show. Steve Martin opening for Jerry Seinfeld. #jerryseinfeld #stevemartin #nyc #comedy #laugh #laughter #jew #hilarious A photo posted by rubes4343 (@rubes4343) on Feb 18, 2016 at 7:37pm PST
"My act was conceptual. Once the concept was stated, and everybody understood it, it was done," Martin once said on Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. "There was no way to live on in that persona. I had to take that fabulous luck, but not be remembered as that exclusively."
Don't worry, Steve: In the comedy world, your standup is unforgettable.