NEW YORK â Comedian Gilbert Gottfried, in front of a live audience at Carolineâs on Broadway last month, was struck by a funny thought. âI was thinking, âIs this actually what I do for living?ââ he recalled about his first nervous stand-up routine in 15 months. âI remember being up there thinking, âIâm sure I must have more jokes.ââ Thereâs plenty of time now for those long-untold gags as Manhattanâs renowned comedy venues welcomed back familiar faces like Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Attell and Gottfried in recent weeks. And itâs hard to wipe the smile off the club ownersâ faces as the tables fill up and the funny finally returns, with New York nightlife edging toward something like normal.