Interview: 'We Need Human Connection More Than Ever Now' Club Kabarett's Bernie Dieter Tells Us About Her History-Making Show

Cabaret veteran Bernie Dieter returned this month to London with her latest outing Club Kabarett. The first show at Soho's newly opened Underbelly Boulevard (known as Boulevard Theatre before the pandemic), it showcases a brilliant cast of international performers all backed by music from Dieter and her house band.

We caught up with the Australian-German host during her current run to hear all about her show (you can read our review here).

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Welcome back to London! What can we expect this time around from the Club Kabarett performers and the house band?

So happy to be back in this gorgeous city! We have taken over the gorgeous Underbelly Boulevard with phenomenal acts. There is everything from pole dancing to fire and, combined with the intimacy of this venue and the fact that it’s completely in the round, it means we are more "up close and personal" with our audiences than ever before. Just the way I like it!

I love my beautiful band. Live music truly is the beating heart of this show and this band are particularly bad ass. We do some incredible covers (my particular favourite is our own version of Brecht’s ‘pirate Jenny’) as well as some of my original songs and especially in such an intimate venue this band are worth the ticket price alone!

You've worked extensively around London and in Australia. How would you compare the audiences in the two countries? 

I love performing in both of those places but I would say that they are quite similar audiences in that they like to get down and dirty, laugh and drink and have a good time. We toured Japan earlier this year though and I think the difference there was much more apparent.

Our style of cabaret is a pretty rare thing in Japan culturally, so being in a space where they were encouraged to let loose and be whoever they wanted to be had a huge impact which was incredible to see. 

From your Cellardoor residency to your appearances to the BBC via riotous shows everywhere from Torture Garden to Soho Theatre, EastEnd Cabaret were one of the mainstays of vibrant London cabaret scene throughout much of the 2010s. What were your happiest memories of that era?

Oh darling, that was such a long time ago - it is mostly lost in a gin haze now! It’s always the people around you that make anything special, and I’ve always loved London for its vibrant nights and debauched dive bars where anything goes. 

Cabaret proved to be one of the more resilient art forms over the pandemic - while theatre and circus effectively shut up shop, variety artists brought their work direct to audiences through platforms from Youtube and Facebook to Twitch and OnlyFans. As someone who thrives in a live environment, how did you survive the Covid era?

I was one of the lucky ones who was mostly able to carry on working through the pandemic touring to places like Perth in Western Australia and Singapore. Was interesting to see different ways of coping in different places. It was a particularly hard time all round and one of the big reasons why we need human connection and interaction and live music and theatre more than ever now.

Finally, your stage persona is known for her fabulous outfits. Do you design and create those yourself?

I am very lucky in that I get to work with different designers from all over the world to make me look so good! In this show, I’m wearing some glorious feathers by nowear designs in Camden, a stunning faux fur coat by Melbourne designer GunShy, a spiky diamanté-covered jacket by haus of bling UK and some gin epaulettes by Kraken Counter Couture.

Club Kabarett continues until 6 January.

Photo credits: Craig Sugden

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