International superstar, sex symbol, accordionist and Berlin boy-wonder, Hans, will be bringing his Like A German tour to the Eternity Playhouse.
Backed by a live band, Hans: Like A German is an accordion-pumping, foot-stomping, glittering blitzkrieg of cabaret. Audiences will be slapping their thighs so hard they’ll think it’s Oktoberfest as Hans dishes the dirt on his triumphant turn on television's America’s Got Talent where he made it all the way to the finals.
Hans: Like A German has been a major hit at the recent Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and Melbourne Comedy Festival, garnering multiple five star reviews and sold out performances.
Boozier than Oktoberwest, more drive than a Volkswagen and with more sausage than a bratwurst convention, Hans is Germany’s proudest export. With his own fabulous brand of critically acclaimed cabaret, Hans has been thrilling audiences around the globe for over a decade and has performed for everyone from Prime Ministers to Princesses.
From cabaret festivals, to America’s Got Talent, to your own Australian tour. What has the journey been like getting to here and why was this the show to take around Australia?
This is a show that I took to the Edinburgh Fringe last year and then to the Adelaide Fringe and Melbourne Comedy Festivals in 2019. It’s changed a little but along the way (in fact it changed every night), but wherever we’ve gone, audiences have been lapping it up. So it’s only fair that I share it with as much of Australia as I can. Think of it more of a community service than a show.
What inspired the creation of Like a German and what do you hope to achieve with this work?
It’s really the show that makes you forget your troubles and the state of the world and just escape for an hour. I mean, let’s face it… It’s ABBA songs on an accordion and a 6’3 boy in glitter who’s tap dancing. There’s nothing intellectual going on here! And that’s a promise!
You’re known across Australia and beyond for not only your charm and wit, but your accordion skills. What drew you to such a quirky instrument? How long have you been playing?
I actually began life playing classical piano. But soon realised that accordion was a bit of an underrated instrument and always a hit when I would bring it out at parties. Also, people are expecting a polka or a German Oompah song when you play an accordion, so when you hit them with a Britney song, it really freaks them out!
Your tour is landing in Sydney soon at the Eternity Playhouse, but has already visited Victoria and Western Australia. What has the response to Like a German been like so far? Do you find the response changes depending on where you are?
It’s been great so far! I think even the people in the audiences who might not know what sort of a show they’ve come along to soon work it out. All in all, we’ve just been having a great big party!
Why should audiences come and see Like a German? What can they expect?
Quite simply…. It’s the greatest night of your life. That is NO understatement.
RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS:
Favourite production you have ever seen?
Bette Midler’s ‘Kiss My Brass’ Tour
You’re getting on a plane tomorrow and you can go anywhere in the world, where do you go?
New York City!!!
Dream show to create?
My next show!
Plays or musicals?
Musicals!
A hobby you have beyond the theatre?
Googling myself
What’s next for you after this show?
2020 is VERY busy! I have my brand-new show, Haus Of Hans: Disco Spektakulär, debuting at the Adelaide Fringe Festival in February, and then on to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. And, of course, I am heading back to America’s Got Talent: The Champions, which starts airing in January on NBC in the US and here on Foxtel.
Hans: Like a German is on for a strictly limited run at the Eternity Playhouse from December 4-6, 2019. You can get your tickets here.