Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett review | Meat Market

It's been just over a year since Bernie Deiter captivated Melbourne audiences with Club Kabarett, and while several acts are the same, it is still bursting with energy, dazzling with skill and reaffirming exactly why it struck a chord the first time around. Through circus, cabaret and live music, it becomes a rousing invitation to let go of restraint and jump into joy, resistance and collective release.



The contortionism from Soliana Erse is once again, jaw dropping to watch. It's one thing to (literally) bend over backwards and turn your head around but the speed and the smoothness at which she does this is mesmerising. Similarly, Jacqueline Furey’s fire act is, quite simply, hot, hot, hot. Flames lick her body and then some, and you can feel the heat and know this isn’t smoke and mirrors, it’s edge-of-your-seat realness.



Circus artist Jarred Dewey performs an aerial trapeze routine as Dieter stands at the rear of the runway stage, singing a cover of "Masculinity" by Lucky Love. Dewey presents a stirring, defiant acrobatic interpretation of manhood, queerness and masculinity that is deeply personal and sharply political. Drag cabaret artiste Iva Rosebud is sensationally unpredictable and loose as she throws herself into some very messy hilarity.



New additions this season include international tap dancer Caleb Cameron whose fast-moving feet and nimbleness manage to bring sexiness back into tap, and Melissa Lee who delivers a hair-raising suspension act that is brimming with delight and excitement. 


Music is such an important part of Club Kabarett with the live Haus Band's musical arrangements turning recognisable hits into something freer and exuberantly uninhibited. Deiter’s performances of "Into My Arms" by Nick Cave and "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" by Martha Wainwright are two sobering moments, inviting us to step back and reflect on the world and the weight of what’s unfolding, while offering a sense of resolve, a reminder to keep fighting and to find strength in one another.



Deiter is the anchor of it all, commanding the space as our MC with an effortless authority. She holds the room with a presence that is equal parts control and charisma, shifting seamlessly between vocalist, guide and provocateur. There is a confidence in the way she shapes the pace of the night without stifling its spontaneity.



Club Kabarett thrives on contradiction, spectacle and intimacy, chaos and precision, provocation and care. It is a show that doesn’t ask to be watched, but felt, pulling us into a world where skill becomes storytelling and risk becomes expression, and reminding us why this cabaret lands with so much passion and force.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: Meat Market, 3 Blackwood St, North Melbourne
Season: until 24 May | Tues - Fri 7.30pm, Sat 5pm & 8pm, Sun 6pm
Duration: 110 minutes with interval
Tickets: $40 - $125
Bookings: Bernie Dieter's Club Kabarett