Review by: Tatum Stafford
Forever a Perth FRINGE WORLD darling, Bernie Dieter and her troupe of glorious “freaks and weirdos” are back and bigger than ever in ‘Club Kabarett’; their offering for the 2025 festival.
This is my fourth time seeing a Bernie show, and this year’s ‘Club Kabarett’ is the best one yet. It’s chock full of everything audiences have come to know, love, and appreciate from her shows, including jaw-droppping circus acts, plenty of comedy, and killer vocals from Bernie herself (not to mention, some of the funniest audience participation you’ll see all festival).
The line-up of variety performers in the show are all absolutely amazing to watch. There’s truly something for everyone - from Jacqueline Furey’s fire twirling and sword swallowing (including a fluorescent sword which was something I had never seen before), to athletic circus feats, a phenomenal live band, an incredible contortionist, and a drag queen who performed a number that, without giving anything away, rendered every single audience member confounded in the best way possible. A timely icebreaker from Bernie along the lines of “what the f**k did we just watch” was necessary and hilarious.
The star of the show is our hostess with the mostess, Bernie Dieter herself. Dressed impeccably and with a voice and stage presence to die for, Bernie strutted onto the stage in gorgeous garb and with a glint in her eye. It’s rare and phenomenal to see a performer who is able to capture an entire audience’s attention with just a facial expression, or a sultry note. She is truly a master of her craft, and it’s such a joy to see her return to her rightful Perth podium year after year.
Though ‘Club Kabarett’ was filled with boisterous and larger-than-life acts, its most touching moment comes towards the end when Bernie soulfully delivers her rendition of “Into My Arms” by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. She tells us that there is a lot of chaos, loneliness, and confusion in the world, but if we can all continue to gather in spaces like these, to spend time with strangers and feel free to be ourselves, we just might feel a little better. It was one of those rare Fringe moments where it felt like everybody in the room went silent, felt connected, and shared in a very special song with a very talented performer.
This production is larger than life, and sits in an appropriately spacious warehouse at the Ice Cream Factory, with a scattering of different entrypoints and bars depending on ticket types. It’s a slick and well-oiled production, and I commend the cohesive team of ushers who had everyone sat on time and communicated clearly throughout the preshow.
Buying a ticket to this show is one of the easiest decisions you’ll make this Fringe season - if you’ve seen her before, or never headed along, I’d urge you to snap up a ticket and dive into her debaucherous world for an hour or two. You won’t regret it.
