HansHans: Like A German is like and unlike anything you’ve ever seen. In 2019, we’ve seen the camp queer strutting his stuff around stage, all glitz and glam. We’ve seen the cabaret and the multi-instrumentalism and the subversive cover songs. But what you haven’t seen is Hans doing it like a German... You have never, ever seen the unstoppable force that Hans generates with every wiggle of his sequin-clad tush.
Hans' show (directed, choreographed, created and performed by him) is a mixture of cabaret and brutal stand-up comedy. The action is mostly Hans singing and dancing with his band: The Ungrateful Bastards. Their music and Hans’ brilliant and mixed repertoire light a fire in the audience from the get-go, waving and clapping along to The Sound Of Music, Kylie and It’s Raining Men. You name it, Hans has had a go.
To best enjoy or anticipate the show, some warnings might be necessary.
Warning one: Don’t be late, Hans will eviscerate you.
Warning two: Don’t be old or straight or gay or dress like a young liberal, Hans will eviscerate you.
Warning three: Don't be... you get the idea.
The description of Hans as a "glittering blitzkrieg" is perfect. He mows down the audience individually with cutting improvised wit and collectively with a natural flair for showmanship. He makes showiness an artform – though not a high art form. At one point in the show after a singular reference to the playwright Brecht, he says, "This is as highbrow as it’s gonna get... Some of you may even leave here dumber than when you entered."
For the fierce, unbridled joy that Hans ignites in the audience, we would be more than happy leaving dumber than we came in. The show ‘from go to woah’ is a testament to what someone can do when they’ve got a range of talents and the big fat chutzpah to turn them into fireworks.
For an unforgettable lowbrow night of foot-stomping and cracking laughs, see Hans now.
