OTTAWA - There were times last night when Jerry Seinfeld could've been ranting to George Costanza in his apartment instead of to a sold-out crowd at the National Arts Centre.

He still works himself up into that unmistakable high-pitched semi-scream he uses when he questions the absurdity of everyday annoyances. You almost expect Kramer to come bursting through the door.

But during his routine last night, he made no mention of the mega-hit sitcom that made him rich and famous. At least, not until the end of his 70-minute performance, when he came back for a brief encore to take questions from the audience.

They couldn't resist.

One person asked him to simply say, "Hello Newman."

Seinfeld told a short story about how often Wayne Knight, who played Jerry's nemesis on the sitcom, must hear that from the public. Then he raised his upper lip in mock disdain and did his best, "Hello, Newman." That's all it took for the crowd to laugh and cheer.

In response to another question, he mentioned that the Seinfeld cast -- including Newman -- is reuniting for an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm this season.

When a man at the back shouted, "Are you still master of your own domain?" it became clear why he chose not to reminisce about the sitcom or repeat any of his famous catch-phrases.

"Nothing is less funny to a comedian than their own jokes," he said with a hint of exasperation. "It's like if you walked into your office and told somebody a joke, and the next day you walked into the office and they told you the same joke. You don't have to tell me, I was there."

Although he doesn't appear to have aged a day, much has changed for Seinfeld since the sitcom ended 11 years ago, and his material has changed with it.

He's no longer the single guy with the eccentric friends living in an apartment in New York.

He got married 10 years ago -- at the "Jesus Christ" age of 45 (when you say you're 45 and single, people say "Jesus Christ") -- and has three children under the age of nine. That gave him plenty of fodder for jokes.

Every married comedian has gone there, but none quite like Seinfeld. His imitation of a husband and wife having an argument was brilliant in the same way all his comedy is brilliant -- we can see it in ourselves and others.

"My wife will say, 'I don't like your tone,' " he said. "I thought it was a marriage. Apparently, it's a musical."

He joked about fatherhood, and how sometimes he feels like a day-old helium balloon, floating aimlessly around the house, and nobody knows what to do with it.

But his best stuff were the stories "about nothing" that he could have been telling to George.

How dare movie theatre people ask us to clean up around our seats?

Why, in the 21st century, do we need to be told to wait for the beep?

And when we take Viagra, why do we need to be advised to call a doctor if the erection lasts longer than four hours?

"I'm making that call in the third hour," Seinfeld said. "But before I see him, I want to know what he's going to do with it first!"

I'm sure George would've agreed.