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Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett

 
Ross Anthony Review by Ross Anthony 5 Published: 7 Aug 2025 Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows Show Dates: 1 Aug 2025-23 Aug 2025

Imagine walking into a classic rock concert hosted in the hottest industrial sex club in modern-day Berlin, with all the flair of Weimar’s Golden Age. That’s what it felt like to arrive at Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett – and the acts more than lived up to the space.

The very best kind of filth

The venue is perpetually lit by a harsh neon red BERLIN sign, but the judicious use of spotlighting creates a theatrical yet often intimate feel. As the simmering guitar riffs of the live rock band fill the air, the cast begins setting up – it feels as much like kittens playing as it does a troupe getting into position. But it’s when Bernie Dieter takes the stage that the performance truly begins.

The leading lady’s husky, sultry tones welcome the audience with a call for connection, while making it clear this is her domain. The opening number feels hot and dangerous, mingling seamlessly into crowd work that comes off as both authentic and delightfully debauched. As Bernie puts it, “I could stay here gazing into your beautiful, slightly petrified, eyes all night... but the show must go on.”

This cabaret knows exactly what it is and stays true to itself from start to finish. It is queer, hot, industrial, and absolutely full of character. It mingles silliness with sexiness to create the kind of experience you want to do shots of until the sun comes up. Circus tropes meet cabaret staples seamlessly, like so much velvet and leather in the cast’s varied costumes. I’ll also admit to being charmed by the masc-presenting performers with their nipples taped while the femme folk displayed theirs with utter nonchalance.

Be careful – you might unexpectedly pick up a kink (or three) along the way.

The pace isn’t breakneck. It’s grab-you-by-the-collar and drag-you-down-an-alleyway to adventure. Keep up, or else. We transition through acts and songs so swiftly and cleanly that there isn’t a moment of slack in the 70-minute runtime.

Danik Abishev leads with an impressively physical hand-balancing act that had the crowd heart-thumpingly invested, before we coil into Soliana Ersie’s contortionist routine – both performers polished more like diamonds than glass. I caught both grinning as they heard the front row gasp, “Oh my god!” Iva Rosebud injects silliness into the evening’s throbbing veins with whimsical drag acts that felt refreshing, rather than the sometimes tired tropes of the scene. Each performer brought creativity alongside the salaciousness and indulgence. Jacqueline Furey delivered an innovative and genuinely risky fire performance that was unforgettable in scope. Jared Dewey may have been the most impressive, with aerial acts that challenged masculine norms while feeling soulful and self-aware.

This cabaret is drenched in spit, sex, and feminist framing. It delivers an empowering message that felt poignant – even while being the very best kind of filth.

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The Blurb:

Join kabarett provocateur Bernie Dieter as her gin-soaked haus band soundtracks a debauched night of breathtaking circus, gender-bending aerial and fire-breathing sideshow at its most provocative and hilarious best. Club Kabarett is more than just a show; 'It's an exuberant, juicy, guns-blazing performance that makes other cabarets look stale and tame' (ArtsHub.com.au). A triumphant middle finger held up against the mundane, this wickedly funny show is a life-affirming lightning bolt of pure, unadulterated joy! 'F*cking phenomenal' ***** (TheAge.com.au). ***** 'Gloriously decadent and outrageously indecent' (WhatsOnStage.com). ***** 'Deliciously debaucherous, salacious Spiegeltent spectacular' (Time Out).