Hans Teeuwen: Smooth and Painful

It’s difficult to review a performer like Hans Teeuwen, when half the audience are in fits of hysterical laughter, but the other half are looking confused and uneasy – and more than a handful walk out. This is a show that really needs to be experienced to be understood, because no description of the content out of context would do justice to the brilliance of this deranged raconteur. The Dutch comedian is a commanding presence, grabbing the audience’s attention with his surreal, twisted anecdotes and savagely witty musings, occasionally slipping into performance poetry or jazz singing. Provocative statements like “love is a filthy myth!” are interwoven with almost childlike descriptions of a fantasy forest, along with political rants about religion and freedom of artistic expression.Some performers feign madness for comic effect, but with Hans Teeuwen there seems to be a genuine glint of insanity in his eyes. Provocative and confrontational, this is not a relaxing watch, but for every moment you sit in uncomfortable disbelief listening to a story about anal worms, there are many more when Teeuwen shocks a laugh out of you, even if you can’t quite figure out why. This is not for the faint hearted, but if you like your comedy verging on the psychotic, don’t miss this totally unique and gruesomely entertaining performance.