Well hello, daahlings – Hans is In Das Haus and we are going to party tonight, bitches!
From the moment he sashays on stage, perennial Fringe favourite Hans – aka “the German boy wonder” – has the Aurora Spiegeltent audience on its feet and ready to go with him on a “cabarap” journey to Gangsta’s Paradise.
“Rapping at 7 on a Monday night - it doesn’t get more ghetto than that,” says our host, clad in black hotpants, sequin-panelled vest, fishnet stockings, purple fedora, trademark blue eyeshadow and an embarrassment of feathers.
It’s a high-camp, high-energy, high-comedy trip as Hans leaves no dance move untwerked in his bid to win entry to the hip-hop hall of fame, with a lot of help from his five-piece band The Ungrateful Bastards and back-up dancers The Lucky Bitches.
A soundtrack of excellent mashups – including everything from Salt-n-Pepa’s “Push It” to Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda” and Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” – are delivered with a hefty helping of bitchiness and bawdy humour. There’s a surprise duet with a guest sporting more sequins than the boy wonder himself, an accordion interlude, skipping, tap dancing, krumping and, of course, several glittering costume changes.
The song and dance are punctuated with audience engagement, and the discovery of a 15-year-old Catholic schoolgirl sitting in the front row with her mother was a gift that kept on giving on Monday night. Taking a seat close to the stage is risky, but hiding further back in the Spiegeltent still won’t necessarily guarantee your safety – the trio of gents Hans-picked for an on-stage competition deserved their own place in the Good Sports Hall of Fame.
The vocal crowd kept calling for more, and was rewarded with a show that went overtime and had them once again on their feet for the finale. Hans might not be to everyone’s (good) taste, but if you bring an open mind – and possibly leave your schoolgirl daughter at home – you should have a ball.
We had fun In Das Haus, yah?
Hans: In Das Haus (recommended PG) has two more shows in the Aurora Spiegeltent, Garden of Unearthly Delights, on March 2 and March 9.
