The Northern comedian shares the good, the bad and a bit of the ugly with an enthusiastic audience
Who doesn't love a good (bad) pun? As soon as I saw the title, along with the poster of Mark Maier with a kipper on his head (get it?), I was hooked. Jewvenile, as well as being a witty portmanteau, is a tribute to the Northern comedian's late father Werner, who died in 2024 aged 93. Young Werner, aged just nine, made it out of Berlin with his parents in the nick of time in 1939. The family disembarked in Newcastle, which Maier assumes they mistook for New York, and settled for the east of England instead of America's glam East Coast.
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.
It's no wonder he's in demand. There's a self-assured laidback quality to Maier's delivery, which can flip in an extraordinary turn of body language to suit whichever story he's recounting or character he's portraying. Rabbi Schnitzel, for instance, which is an enigmatic and kooky role Maier assumes by hunching his back, over which he drapes a voluminous tallit (prayer shawl). Jewvenile isn't just a stand-up show, it's a journey that deftly toes the lines between comedy, absurdity and empathy.
By Judi Herman
Mark Maier: Jewvenile runs Thursday 11 June. 7.30pm. £22.50. Radlett Centre, London, WD7 8HL. radlettcentre.co.uk
Maier also hosts a monthly Sunday comedy night at The Village Green Pub, London, N10 3HN. thevillagegreen.pub
This review of Jewvenile is from Maier's performance on Monday 16 March at London's Duchess Theatre.