“Larry David and David Steinberg in Conversation” was just that: a conversation between two aging comedians.
Although these comedians may be from another generation, they, for good reason, drew a mixed crowd of college students and older patrons for an evening of laughter and mockery at The Theatre at Ace Hotel.
Presented as an exclusive Citi cardmembers event, the program was the first in a series of Citi comedy specials. To debut the series were two comedy greats: Larry David, co-creator of “Seinfeld” and writer and star of the HBO series “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and David Steinberg, comedian, director and current executive producer for Showtime’s series “Inside Comedy.”
As the two men took the stage, they blew kisses at the audience and only a few high-pitched nasal words were out of David’s mouth before the entire audience was laughing. The next 90 minutes held this form; both comedians could do no wrong.
David thanked the audience for coming all the way downtown, something he said he rarely did himself, except for the occasional visit to the Staples Centerto cheer on the Knicks. What followed was a “conversation” with a loose interview structure – Steinberg prompting David, beginning with David’s childhood in Brooklyn and moving through his start in comedy to “Seinfeld” to his upcoming Broadway play, “Fish in the Dark.”
The crowd was boisterous – laughing, applauding and even lovingly heckling the men on stage – as the two exchanged stories on their attempts to impress women and experiences in the world of entertainment. David and Steinberg made the banter appear effortless.
The back-and-forth wrapped up too soon, as the audience called out for another season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” responding to David’s protest of running out of ideas with “you never will.” Toward the end the evening, Steinberg called for a freeform question-and-answer with the audience.
For the most part, a sad kind of hilarity ensued; the two men, especially David, mercilessly judged their question-asking victims with a supportive crowd booing. A surprising, or not-so-surprising, number of young women declared their love for David, 67 and single. Some asked for hugs, while one man ran onstage to get his DVD signed, much to the audience’s chagrin.
However, a few heart-warming answers snuck in. The whole evening, David and Steinberg had made it all seem easy, even with David’s tales of chauffeuring and conflicts with networks and producers.
But when one aspiring comedian asked about the most difficult obstacle in their lengthy careers and how to overcome it, both became more somber and explained the constant amount of rejection one must face. David’s answer was Haagen-Dazs, while Steinberg said to keep coming back from the dismissal.
Mostly it was a conversation that was about a lot more than nothing, even if it seemed to be all “yada-yadas.” David and Steinberg had undeniable comedic chemistry, as the two reflected back on careers that helped bring together and inspire thousands.
– Natalie Green