Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett
Image: Jacinta Oaten

Every show begins with an initial spark. What was the original idea, moment or experience that made you create this piece?

It actually started when I was in Paris. And when in Paris, you get used to smoking cigarettes with regularity. And I got offered the opportunity to create a piece for Club Cabaret. And I thought, how cool would it be to be a smoking tap dancer as I wear a fur coat? And then you start listening to music, you start experimenting with things, and it kinda falls into place.

What can audiences expect when they step into this world?

With Club Cabaret, it really takes you back to the old Berlin cabaret scene. The live music, the dark brooding lights, the crazy characters. And it all kinda just transports you to this time and place outside of where we are right now. 

The Edinburgh Fringe is a place where artists and audiences come together from across the world. Why is this the right place for this show?

Is there a wrong show for the Edinburgh Fringe? I think it’s just a beautiful combination of different energies, different people, and each act is a different thing in itself. You wouldn’t really see this mash-up of things all together in one show. And I think the Edinburgh Fringe is a perfect place for the weird, for the crazy, and for something that you can’t take your eyes away from. 

What is something about the show that the audience might not immediately notice, but you hope they discover?

Not many shows have a live band. Watch the show and enjoy the numbers, but pay close attention to the band and what they’re doing and how they’re just absolute rock stars, absolute masters of their craft. Yeah, that’s what I hope people notice, how blessed we are to be backed up such amazing people on the instruments.

 What has surprised you most about creating this piece?

Probably how important the music is. I’m not even sure if that’s something that surprised me, but it’s really hammered home to me how important the music is for the people on stage and for the audience watching. It’s awesome to hear feedback about the show and they’ve got, everyone’s got such a great thing to say about the music, the choreography, the prop usage. And it all just comes together so perfectly. 

When your audience walks home, what would you love them to still be talking about?

I’d love them to be talking about the energy that they’ve taken away from the show. How they’ve been inspired. Things that they haven’t seen before. And things that maybe they want to give a try for themselves. Just really being able to see how passionate we are at what we do and being able to share that with everyone else.

Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett
The Beauty at Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows
19.20
7 – 29 Aug