“Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett is still sizzling hot cabaret.”
“While it isn’t strictly art on the edge, if you are up for a stylish gathering, this will get the revelry started for the year.“
– Veronica Hannon 4 /5 stars
I don’t know if it evokes a “defiant den of iniquity”, to quote the media release, but Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett is still sizzling hot cabaret. Now that we’re out and about again, this is everything you want from a burlesque circus. There are smouldering torch songs, gasp-inducing acrobatics, divine drag, lots of skin, and tart-tongued comedy. If it all feels a bit familiar and deliciously so, you are not wrong. At the same time, Ms Dieter and her troupe know what the audience wants, and they do it better than anyone else.
To provide more than a glimpse of what to expect, let me say few emcees own the stage like Dieter. This artist offers a show of treasures and uses her encrusted glamour and deep, purring German accent to keep us on her hook. Rocking a Clara Bow bob, she appears in some fabulous costumes, most memorably, in a figure-hugging black jumpsuit complete with feather epaulettes. Dieter has perfected the Dietrich (Marlene, of course) sideways glance and smile and implores us to get in on the act. And what a set of pipes. Her songs backed by a tight live band are glorious.
Dieter’s bio reveals she was born in Köln, Germany, and her family led a travelling circus. While people run away and join a circus, Dieter chose to run away to Berlin and take a room above a drag club. It is an intriguing backstory that undoubtedly propels the celebration of diversity on display under this glamorous canvas. And it feels authentic, not performative, which is quite refreshing. She is also incredibly generous when introducing her guests, who are all equally accomplished.
I will never tire of aerial silk, and as performed by WA-based circus performer Matthew Pope, it is graceful, dangerous, and beautiful to watch. Flame-haired Jacqueline Furey is a fire-eating siren, and I will not spoil your delight by elaborating further. The hula hooping Lisa Lottie lit up the room (or tent, as it were). J’aiMime is burlesque perfection. A modern-day Gypsy Rose Lee. Not naked but completely covered by a giant pink bubble. Then Reuben DotDotDot, a wit and acrobat, manages to defy gravity while swigging back the contents of a tall glass. Not a routine to practice at home.
How great to see Sydney come back to life. Ominous grey clouds and a fierce electrical storm did not deter punters who were happy to chill and enjoy a drink and bite to eat from the pop-up bars and food trucks before the gig. While it isn’t strictly art on the edge, if you are up for a stylish gathering, this will get the revelry started for the year.
Veronica Hannon, Theatre Now
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