Big laughs and late nights. These are part of the stand-up comedian’s lot. So when I catch up with Werner Weber, he’s been up later than owls and had the early bird’s worm for breakfast.
“I had a late night,” he says. “I was up until after 2am because last night I did a dry run of my show.”
Devolution: The Theory of Stupid is the show in question and as for the reception of it, Weber’s got the answers.
“It was a really small audience (at Don Pedros) and every comedian knows that a small audience is the most difficult to play with. But I think people were impressed.”
Don’t feel left out. You, too, can catch Weber’s debut one-man show at On Broadway this week. As the title suggests, Weber will tackle the regression of evolution – something he is convinced exists. He explains: “It’s my take on our world, our society, and how we’re going backwards. It’s in how we drive, how chivalry is dead – it’s easy to judge people.”
Then he thinks for a moment about how pessimistic this statement may sound, before adding: “Of course, I do it in a funny way.”
The thing is, he says, “humans are supposed to be at the top of the food chain, but all you have to do is look at the news and you can see that’s not the case.”
It’s all good and well to point out the flaws of a whole species, but does this Capetonian base his material on events in his own life?
“Why, yes.”
He tells me that “when you do a one-man show you have to give your own background. So here I look at the things society is doing, as well as what I do. Some examples of that are the things I notice I do when I go shopping or how I see my dogs.”
Speaking of animals, his press releases say this software developer by day and stand-up comic by night will also take on the tiny issue of seagulls with attitude.
It’s not like the birds are going to be signed to Dr Dre any time soon, but they are, according to Weber, somewhat gangster.
He explains: “I live in Table View and things there are not always what they seem. The seagulls out there have so much bravado – it’s like they’re getting ready to mug you for your food.”
This comedian doesn’t scare easily. He gets up on stage and tries to win people’s favour every night, after all. But things weren’t always like that. Three years before he started, Weber said he had a big collection of DVDs by comedians. One day he thought: “That certainly can’t be difficult.”
“But then you get up on stage for the first time and discover you’re wrong,” he said. “However, you have to push and give it your all.”
That’s what Weber does – until the wee hours of the morning sometimes – but he’s okay with that being a part of his evolution, as long as it results in big laughs.
l Devolution: The Theory Of Stupid is at On Broadway, Long Street until tomorrow. Tickets are R70. Book at Computicket or at the box office.