Bernie Dieter: Celebrating Weimar Kabarett's Centenary

Opinion: Let's raise a gin to Weimar darlings!

feature (adelaide) | Read in About 2 minutes
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Bernie Dieter
Photo by Ayesha Hussian
Published 18 Feb 2019

Weimar Kabarett was born exactly 100 years ago, just after the first world war, when the Kaiser was kicked out of Germany and the Weimar Republic was formed.

After living under an extremely controlling, authoritarian government for so long the people were liberated by a new democracy. Censorship laws were lifted and kabarett was a celebration of their new found freedom. Satirical, edgy and full of social commentary, it pushed the boundaries of what was considered the 'norm'.

Weimar Kabarett celebrated all genders, all sexual orientations and allowed people to be whoever they wanted to be. It was dominated by two main themes – sex and politics. While some other forms of kabarett were a form of escapism – decadent, lavish soirees full of beauty and glitz – Weimar Kabarett was a down and dirty celebration of the seedy underbelly of society. Defiantly looking at it head-on and exposing it in all it's ugly, complicated glory.

History always finds ways to repeat itself and we are living in a time again now where we are being told that difference is something that we should be afraid of. But, what in fact we should be doing is celebrating it. We should be craving it, embracing it, rather than ignoring the huge cracks that are developing again in society while we are all staring at our tiny little screens (Netflix is the opiate of the masses).

It is time to rise up, stroke a stranger's thigh, and make real human connections. Make as many as you can. Laugh with your friends, make some new friends, go home with Beardy. Grab a shot of something strong and come and play at the Little Death Club, the darkest, funniest most debauched kabarett club in town.