The Phoenix returns to Life with the Leicester Comedy Festival!

This February is in store for many things - Valentine's Day, tonnes of snow, but more excitingly a fantastic comedy line up. The Leicester Comedy Festival began on the 6th of February and will last until the 15th, with almost 20 different shows per day, all at different venues dotted around Leicester. Many headline acts are still to come, including shows by Andy Parsons, Mark Watson, Ed Byrne and the upcoming comedian Sarah Millican. The Phoenix Theatre, kick-started the festival with Hans Teeuwen, whose performance was eccentric to say the least.

Hans Teeuwen (Tay-van) performed at the Phoenix on Friday and the night began with a sell-out performance on his show. We clambered through the battling crowds, cutting into people's conversations as we went just to get to our seats. The lights went out and Hans stood on stage bowing to a huge applause. He begins with a Waltz composition on the piano which tickles the audience with a turbulent pace and amusing facial expressions claiming that Mozart is "a little outdated." He reels off several comical stories such as "Blind man Dwight in a wheel chair" who saves a woman from a burning building and Ronny the sock friend who tells Hans "You can't boss me around, I mean, I'm not your girlfriend." There's a further crude Blues rendition on the piano followed by an almost acrobatic style dance with his head stuck unpleasantly through a chair shouting, "there are things in life you just don't want to see." Finally there was more drumming on the bottom of a vase singing a camp fire song about Nostradarmous - a seventeenth century fortune teller which the audience had to join in by yelling "He looked alright!" Hans bows out and leaves the stage with the audience shouting "More" until he return for a quick 5 minute encore about songs that he has added his name into, in order for the audience to help remember the pronunciation, such as; "Hans Teeuwen, Hans Teeuwen, I love you Hans Teeuwen, you're always a day away" from Annie, and "I am Hans Teeuwen my friends, I am Hans Teeuwen..." to the tune of "we are the champions" by Freddie Mercury.

Although Teeuwen seemed to appeal to certain types of people, as most of his jokes were directed towards the insensitive members of the audience, he proved to be quite entertaining in most parts of his act as a result of his enthusiastic, energetic and lively performance. Not only was Teeuwen himself amusing, but the props themselves such as the piano and the vase helped to enhance the performance, making it an all round entertaining show.

In all, if you do not take offensive jokes personally, then you may really enjoy the cynical comedy and high-spirited performance of Hans Teewen. It will definitely be an experience you will never forget!