Spectacular adults-only cabaret comes with an air of debauchery and much celebration

CABARET
Club Kabarett ★★★★★
North Melbourne Meat Market, until May 11

Comparing the current global moment to Europe in the 1920s and 1930s has become a cliche, and with good reason. The mainstreaming of extremist politics, the trampling of democratic norms, and the chaos of the second Trump administration – an authoritarian circus that seems intent on leading the world towards economic recession – all have a whiff of imminent disaster about them.

A century ago, free spirits could turn, for a while, to the anarchic hedonism of Weimar cabaret to drown out the echo of jackboots. Today, in a dark corner of North Melbourne, that party lives on at Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett – a wild line-up of adults-only variety combining circus, sideshow, bizarre burlesque, and song.

Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett is a spectacular and subversive experience with echoes of 1920s Berlin but with so much more going on.Credit: Fringe World

Garnering five-star reviews almost wherever it travels, this is a spectacular and subversive experience that out-sizzles anything you’ll see in the Kander and Ebb musical Cabaret or the underground clubs of Babylon Berlin. The skill and daring on display are superlative – on par with world-famous circus-cabaret ensembles such as La Soiree or La Clique.

Self-described “mistress of mayhem” Dieter establishes an instant rapport with the audience, bringing a debauched demimonde into existence through sultry vocals, a rocking “haus band”, and a spot of teasing, comic-erotic participation.

Live music accompanies many of the circus acts. Dieter busts out a pumped-up rendition of Big Pig’s Breakaway as Russian acrobat Danik Abishev performs jaw-dropping feats of acrobalance, while Jacqueline Furey’s fire-eating striptease smoulders to a sultry version of Prince’s Kiss.

Athleticism and grace take flight in aerial hoop and static trapeze routines, and there’s some serious uncanniness in the mix, including wild sights you can never unsee.

Contortionist Soliana Ersie performs with astonishing magnetism and flexibility, revealing bodily wonders with a mischievous smile. Avant-garde queer artiste Iva Rosebud bends gender and … every rule in the book. Let’s just say you’ll never look at cake the same way again.

An air of debauchery hangs over proceedings – one routine sees a performer snorting white powder midair, and Dieter sends us into the night with a thigh-slapping drinking song she composed for her grandmother.

But Club Kabarett isn’t only about having a good time. It sports unusual gender equality in its burlesque acts. It champions women’s reproductive rights in costume. Above all, it’s a way of celebrating connection at a time when people are being increasingly divided and siloed off from one another.

Whether you’re disenchanted and depressed by the world, or you’ve just had a shit day at work, treating yourself to a night out at Club Kabarett is guaranteed to boost your mood. It’s cheaper than therapy, and much more fun.
Reviewed by Cameron Woodhead

MUSIC
The Libertines ★★★
Forum Melbourne, April 15

Reverend and The Makers kicked things off with the energy of a band that knew they had a mission: to get us pumped for The Libertines. And pumped we were. Jon McClure swaggered through the brilliant Heavyweight Champion of the World and Heatwave in the Cold North with the charisma of a very expensive horse.

Pete Doherty of The Libertines performs on stage at Forum Melbourne.Credit: Richard Clifford

So we were primed and excited to welcome The Libertines – who certainly arrived, and also played their songs. That was good, because they write damned good songs. After Britpop got bloated and slow, The Libertines came and saved UK indie, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Also, Can’t Stand Me Now is the greatest male duet ever recorded, so if you haven’t heard it, do yourself a favour.

Unfortunately, their stage presence was, at best, minimalist. They didn’t acknowledge the audience until over 45 minutes into the show, and then only by saying “Good morning, Melbourne”.

Despite feeling less like we were at a show than we were creepy fans peeking through the window at a very well-lit rehearsal, live music still has a special magic, and it is always worth bearing witness to the ritual. The Libertines stormed through almost all of their genuinely excellent new album All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade. Where other bands might hide behind their old hits like creepy fans hiding beneath a rehearsal-room window-ledge, our likely lads boldly ploughed through almost every track from their new offering.

They also gave us the lion’s share of their back catalogue bangers. We couldn’t help but “Shoop shoop, shoop delang-alang” along with What Katie Did, and when brilliantly rocking numbers like Time for Heroes, What a Waster and Up the Bracket hit, the crowd was united in passionate dance.

The Libertines stormed through almost all of their genuinely excellent new album.Credit: Richard Clifford

The classic Libertines performative magic was still in evidence, too. I will always adore it when Pete Doherty and Carl Barât lean in close to each other to harmonise on the same mic, and Gary Powell’s powerhouse drumming was a particular highlight of the evening. He also played between-song solos that served as a form of communication with the crowd in the absence of talking. Unfortunately, no matter how well a drum kit is played, it isn’t a great substitute for human connection.

Happily, as the sublime Don’t Look Back into the Sun drew the show to a close, that connection started to emerge. The band seemed to be enjoying playing it, the crowd were going mad for it, and Powell even thanked us for being there, but only after the rest of the band had silently left the stage.
Reviewed by Andrew McClelland

MUSIC
Composing Australia: Night One ★★★★
Metropolis Festival, Melbourne Recital Centre, April 16

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s Metropolis Festival – admirably dedicated to new Australian orchestral music – began this year by exploring the works of four female composers.

Soloist Mindy Meng Wang plays the world premiere of Jessica Wells’ Concerto for Guzheng and Orchestra.Credit: Picture: Nico Keenan

Recalling the nightly roadworks that accompanied her COVID-era confinement, Holly Harrison’s Hi-Vis proved a lively curtain raiser. Spiralling, drill-like glissandi and a few sharp whistle blasts recalled the worksite, while classic jazz motifs, including trombones with “wow wow” mutes, conjured up a hi-vis nightclub ambience, enlivened by some dizzying trumpet solos from Brent Grapes.

After such a frenetic start, The Space Between Stars by Ella Macens offered a traditional oasis of awe-filled calm contemplating “the energy and magic of our night sky”, before swelling to an emotional climax.

Fiona Hill’s Sunyata, a fascinating soundscape, exploited myriad instrumental techniques to evoke nature and humanity’s place within it. Well-constructed tension and release created a sense of collective breathing, alluding to the Sanskrit word of the title (which can be translated as “emptiness”). Rachael Tobin’s atmospheric cello solos shone against monochromatic backdrops.

The world premiere of Jessica Wells’ Concerto for Guzheng and Orchestra with soloist Mindy Meng Wang was in every sense colourful. Wang brought forth an astonishing variety of sounds from two ancient Chinese zithers as the music retold The Haunted Pavilion, a classic Chinese folktale.

Appearing first as a scholar clad in a hooded black cape, Wang summoned an ominous mood before shedding the cape to reveal bright traditional dress. Then, playing a beautiful female ghost, highly lyrical music described her romance with the scholar. This fusion of cultures avoided cliche by including some gritty textures and timbres.

Ably conducted by Benjamin Northey, the MSO responded to these very different scores with enthusiasm and insight. Northey and co-curator Liza Lim, the MSO’s 2025 composer-in-residence, have ensured Metropolis remains an important date in the orchestra’s calendar.

Composing Australia continues on Thursday, April 17 with Liza Lim’s Sappho/Bioluminescence, Peggy Polias’ Arachne, and William Barton and Matthew Hindson’s Kalkadungu.
Reviewed by Tony Way

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