As well as passing on his survival instinct, Maier’s father gifted his son a sense of humour, albeit often dark. Working on being a good grandpa, Werner went with one of Maier’s kids to see a Spider-Man movie. Maier asked how he liked the film. “Worst experience of my life,” he said, “and I survived Nazi Germany.”
At this Duchess Theatre show, we are treated to a warm-up set by London-based comic Ross Smith. His droll humour was the perfect pairing to Maier’s somewhat self-deprecating shtick, which takes on a mix of storytelling, character comedy and crowd work. In 2001, Maier won Jewish Performer of the Year. He has also acted and written for radio, and taught and performed improv with the comedian and actor Catherine Tate. To say he’s been around the block would be an understatement, especially as that block extends around the world, with gigs everywhere from Holland to Hong Kong.
