Review by Steve Bennett

Once seen, you'll always remember Hotz for his trademark mannerism. After almost every line, he coyly draws his thumb and first finger up to his mouth, half turns away from the audience and smiles a silent, smug smile.

Rich with superiority, this affectation straddles the line separating the endearing from the hugely annoying. But whatever else, as a quirk to set him aside from other comics, it certainly works.

If he seems all-too pleased with himself, it's for good reason. Many of his one-liners are devastatingly accurate. Cruel, sardonic, hilarious they're the sort of gags other comics envy. In a tight set, the relentless bam-bam-bam of sharp, crafted gags is unstoppable and unassailable.

He may be slightly too obsessed with his big nose and bigger forehead, repeatedly returning to the same self-deprecating lines, but it keeps the obvious heckles at bay.

And, in longer routines, his brilliance is diluted. Instead of delivering more of the same, he expands those rock-solid jokes with weak banter and unnecessarily longer-build ups. The punchlines are just as good, but their effect is weakened by the padding.

But in his element of the tight ten-minute routine, this sharp Canadian is up there with the very best.

Review date: 1 Jun 2004
Reviewed by: Steve Bennett