The air of the Speigeltent circus hub is thick with dark debauchery, smoke and gin soaked Weimer punk jazz, setting the atmosphere for a celebration of the extraordinary. As the we take our seats, we are ominously watched by the various cast members - a despondent mime losing himself in red wine; an uber glamorous ballerina striding purposefully; and a striking gender-bending marvel clad in a skintight leather coat, stockings and stilettos – toying with a piece of gum like a kitten with a mouse. And the matriarch of mayhem, the decadent Bernie Dieter, prowls the room menacingly like a voracious lion watching a wildebeest – eager to introduce us to her talented miscreants.
Dark debauchery, smoke and gin soaked Weimer punk jazz
The band sets the scene beautifully, shifting from delightful Weimar jazz to the filthiest punk rock, as Dieter takes to the stage in a cacophony of chaos. Oozing sexual tension, her connection with the audience is electric as she launches into her first original song – encouraging the audience to get intimate and connect. A foray into the audience for a simulated orgy comes next, and then she introduces us to her merry band of ‘punks, freaks and weirdos’ – a collection of gruesomely spectacular oddities she’s scoured the world to find.
Beau Sargent dazzles us with feats of contortion and acrobatics which garner several audible gasps. Kitty Bang Bang thrills as a bearded lady. Marcel Lucont, the disillusioned Montmartre mime, performs an ode to sex in a public lavatory, and the spectacular Myra DuBois entertains with her classic drag splendour. Sargent returns with the most exquisite aerial hoop performance – it’s simply breathtaking and is a beautifully haunting moment as Dieter sings in the background. The finale is the wonderful Kitty Bang Bang with a frenetic fire routine which enthrals the audience.
Amongst these phenomenal performers, Dieter intersperses hilarious vignettes of observational humour which garner riotous amusement from her eager audience. Naked mole rats, dick pics, self identity and celebrating diversity are but a few of the topics rendering the audience totally spellbound. Dieter has such control of the audience that with one sultry look, she ceases the rapturous applause they’ve gifted her, to allow the introduction of her next act.
Everything about Little Death Club is flawless. Dieter’s enticing hold on the audience; her flawlessly powerful vocals which threaten to blow off any part of the circus hub roof left after the storms are finished with it; her original songs celebrating female sexuality; the incredible talent of each of the performers; and the wonderfully innovative and atmospheric live band. This hour of Weimar punk cabaret will enthral you for an hour that passes all too quickly.
