presented by Watercooler Talent
Since Berlin Wonder Boy Hans last graced the stage at Adelaide Fringe in 2019, the international superstar, sex symbol, accordionist, homewrecker and Madonna fan has been keeping very busy, and there's no rest for the wicked. Specifically, Hans rapidly became popular as a contestant on America's Got Talent, and was selected to compete in America's Got Talent: The Champions, of which he achieved a position in the top ten, and most recently released his first-ever pop song,
Oxygen, a loving ballad to his faithful accordion, co-written with Chong Lim, and produced by Ross Fraser, of John Farnham fame. However, among this rapid rise to worldwide fame, it is pleasing to know that Hans has not forgotten his loyal Adelaide fans, and as such, returns to Adelaide Fringe with his brand new show
Haus of Hans: Disco Spektakulär. Just when one thinks that his shows can't get any better, they are proved wrong, oh so wrong, as Hans continues to move from strength to strength, and this new show exceeds every other Hans show in every way. As such, a change of performance space from previous years has been necessary, with the show moving to a larger tent which seats more patrons, to cope with demand and the growing audience. Hans continues to excel from his previous offerings, and it is quite incredible how he continues to deliver exceptional and faultless performances, and this latest offering is no different.
Haus of Hans: Disco Spektakulär is a highly entertaining, euphoric and indeed spectacular show featuring a selection of the best disco hits from Donna Summer, ABBA, Communaros, Lizzo, Ariana Grande, and even features a live performance of
Oxygen. The show has everything one has come to expect from a Hans show, with a live band, dancers, tap dancing, accordion and piano playing from Hans himself, the "chairs split" stunt, reading of hate mail, but this year also sees the addition of pyrotechnics and even more elaborate staging and special effects. Moreover, while his band remains as The Ungrateful Bastards, the dancers are now two half-naked sexy male dancers with a strong physique, still known as The Lucky Bitches, while the previous female dancers have now become backing vocals, known appropriately as The Rejections, as they failed their audition for
Velvet Rewired.
The performance is well structured and flows smoothly, and Hans gives a polished and faultless performance for the entire show. He is a seasoned professional and his experience is most evident; it is amazing how much energy he continually displays, an energy that is boundless and contagious, making it impossible for one to become filled with joy and wishing the show would, like Hans' energy levels, never end. Hans also has an incredible ability to work the crowd and have them in the palm of his hand, fully engaging them at all times, and frequently improvising with lucky audience members, catering his jokes to suit particular audience members. Hans' dancers are also exciting to watch and their electrifying and exhilarating choreography is perfected and polished, making it a lively and breathtaking sight to behold.
Hans confesses that his show
"isn't meant to be anything emotional or intellectual [and] many people actually leave [his] show dumber than they way they came in...it is meant to be FUN." This is a most accurate description, as Hans presented a show that was nothing short of phenomenal, and definitely fun, and while one may or may not leave the show dumber than the way they came in, what is guaranteed, is that will leave much happier than when they came in, beaming with a smile from ear to ear, and a memory which will last forever. Similarly, in reference to such a happiness that comes with attending a Hans show, Hans also boasts that he has
"heard from lots of people from all over the world who are having all sorts of problems at the moment and [that] the one thing they all say, is that [his] act made them forget that for a while and made them smile, so for [him], that's better than winning any reality show". Though Hans did not win America' Got Talent, he is still a triumphant winner, because what he did win, is my heart, and the hearts of the hundreds of others in the audience whose thunderous applause and roars of laughter are indication enough that Hans was the definite winner that night, and allowed one to forget their worries, even if that only be for the one-hour duration of the show. In short, though Simon Cowell said of one of Hans' performances that it was
"impossible to make [his performance] worse...none of it made sense," what really doesn't make sense is how a person could not love the joy that comes with experiencing and beholding the beauty and excitement that is Hans, nothing compares to that.
Rating: 5 disco balls (out of 5).
***patrons are advised that this production contains infrequent coarse language and adult themes***
