Larry David's debut play (if you discount an on-stage appearance in eighth grade) opened last night on Broadway. Whatever the critical response, Fish in the Dark is already a bona fide hit, having generated $14.5m (£9.4m) in advance sales. Tickets have been changing hands for as much as $425 (£275). So, much to celebrate, then? Well, maybe not. This is Larry David, master misanthrope, after all. "I didn’t think it was going to get any laughs at all,” the 67-year-old said in an interview recently. "I’m so negative! So the first time we did it, like every laugh was a surprise to me because I was expecting nothing. That’s how bleak I am."