Ann Helena Kenis of Belgium’s Got Talent launches new shows
There’s both talent and stage fright under the crazy outfits and fake eyelashes of Antwerp’s Ann Helena Kenis, the success story of Belgium’s Got Talent
Funny girl
The shows are the result of a long and bumpy road. Kenis, 41, who was born and raised in Limburg but now lives in Antwerp, has done all kinds of jobs, from waitress and sales assistant to financial advisor at a bank. Now she can finally combine her talkative, outgoing character with her singing and song-writing skills on stage – without feeling guilty.
“I liked being a waitress, but it wasn’t always fun for my co-workers,” she recalls. “If they weren’t serving customers, they just wanted to be left alone. That’s not easy with a chatty person like me around.”
A few years ago, she worked as an investment advisor for Dexia, now Belfius, “but I had to sell products I didn’t even understand, even with my two degrees. It just didn’t feel right. People were coming in for loans, and I kept telling them it’s better to save first and change their spending habits.”
Looking for an occupation with more integrity, she stumbled into stand-up and cabaret. “Isn’t that funny? I could make people smile while staying the same chatty person that put off my former colleagues. For the first time I had the feeling I was being taken seriously, doing what I do. Maybe because it just fits who I am.”
Getting away with it
As a kid, Kenis went to music school, and she could never resist singing – in school or out. After auditioning for an opening spot for comedian Philippe Geubels (which eventually went to Lies Lefever), she was told they were looking for someone who could sing. “But I can do that!” was her reaction, as she gradually shifted from words to song. “I always liked to rhyme and had plenty of melodies in my head.”
Kenis started looking for an audience herself, initially in retirement homes, performing numbers from musicals and other popular Flemish songs. Soon she was performing for the members of social organisations.
“At first, I just sang my songs. The funny sketches in-between came later,” she says. “People seemed to like that and it just got more crazy.”
All of this led to a first show, Vrij vertaald (Freely Translated) and a debut on prime-time TV. Her career took off from the moment she performed “Kringloopwinkelvrouw” (Thrift Shop Woman) on Belgium’s Got Talent last March.
I had so much stress, I flipped out, and my mind went in all directions
“During my shows, that song made people really happy, and, besides, I’m a thrift shop woman myself. Check what I’m wearing right now. Jacket: €1. T-shirt: €1… But the tutu and the fake eyelashes are just as big a part of the show. I’ve always been a fan of Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand. The glitter of stardom contrasts nicely with my normality.”
Her biggest fear is blanking on stage, she says. “People probably thought everything I said during my television debut was planned, but honestly, only the song was. I had so much stress that I flipped out, and my mind went in all directions. When I’m uncertain, I get very lively and chatty.”
But she seems to get away with it. “Let me tell you what happened yesterday. I was practising my show in a friend’s living room. Since I’d eaten onions, I had to fart from time to time. At the end one lady said: ‘How can you fart so perfectly timed?’ They thought it was part of the show.”
“Because she has such a sweet image, she can get away with almost anything,” theatre and comedy director Peter Perceval said of Kenis. He also compared her act to the fictitious comedy character Pee-Wee Herman, suggesting she could go even further over the top. “But then I wouldn’t be myself anymore, so I refused,” Kenis recalls. “It’s important to stay true to myself.”
In praise of folly
In Ghent, Kenis will combine fragments of her two existing acts. But in November, she debuts with the brand new cabaret show Lof der Zotheid (In Praise of Folly). “The new one tackles the ageing process, mentally and physically. In these retirement homes, I was confronted with it. My partner is also 20 years older than me. It makes me think. And what does getting wrinkles and being surrounded by beautiful young women do to my self-esteem?”
Through performing comedy, she’s learned a lot about herself. “It’s really about dealing with my own life. Often I’m trying to make something funny or hopeful out of misery. I wrote my song about depression when I was feeling down myself, and it did help to make me feel better, just like watching Brigitte Kaandorp’s Zó always does.”
Dutch cabaret artist Kaandorp is a huge influence on Kenis. “The first time I saw her, I recognised myself,” she explains. “She’s just as crazy as me. Crazy and fast.”
But she’s got her eye on other performers as well. “Ronald Goedemondt, Jochen Myjer, Bert Visscher, Lenette Van Dongen… and of course Hans Teeuwen. He’s totally free on stage, and he still gets people to eat out of the palm of his hand. That’s art to me.”
20, 21 & 25 July, Vooruit, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23, Ghent
More performance this week
Everyman
In these temperatures, a visit to an air-conditioned cinema might be in order. London’s National Theatre screens its performances worldwide, and with Everyman, it tackles one of British drama’s oldest plays, with words by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy and a title role for Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave). (In English with English subtitles) 16 July 20.00, Utopolis, Spuibeekstraat 5, Mechelen
De gehoornde man (The Horned Man)
Kurt Demey, originally a visual artist, dons a pair of horns for this play. Supported by the rich double bass sound of Joris Vanvinckenroye, he’s trying to sell you illusions, but all is fake in this piece about the thin line between the truth and lies – except maybe your own experiences. (In Dutch) 16 July 20.30, Sporthal De Ark, Kleistraat 204, Aartselaar
De avond van de luistervink (The Evening of the Eavesdropper)
In their “evenings of the eavesdropper”, stand-up artists Wouter Deprez and Steven Mahieu leave the comfort zone of filling a stage by themselves. At the Gentse Feesten, these comedians with West Flemish roots and a talent for socially committed storytelling share the stage with their equally amusing friends and musicians. (In Dutch) 17-20 July, 20.15, Vooruit, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23, Ghent
Am I Right Ladies?!
London comedian Luisa Omielan made her debut with What Would Beyoncé Do?!, letting go of her frustrations about how the former Destiny’s Child singer can be so in control. She presents her latest one-woman show, Am I Right Ladies?!, about how likes and hashtags are ruining our mental health. (In English) 21 July, 20.15, Vooruit, Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 23, Ghent
