If you have ever been to Fringe World, it is likely you have come across Bernie Dieter and her swarm of kabarett beauties.
Self-professed punks, freaks and weirdos who play with sound, movement, gender and song. Gender-defying aerial marvel Jarred Dewey, local drag sensation Scarlet Adams, Cirque du Soleil alum Reuben Dot Dot Dot, hula-hooping wunderkind Lisa Lottie and Perth’s pole dancing princess Ruby Lai all join Bernie on this journey into the Berlin Undeground.
This year you don’t need to wait until Fringe to get your fix of debauchery as they have already landed here in Perth and are ready to entertain, thrill and excite.
Dieter caught up with OUTinPerth‘s Leigh Andrew Hill and All Things Queer‘s Bella Broadway for some clues on what to expect from the secretive affair.
“Berlin Underground is our very own immersive kabarett club, so it is a secret pop-up location at Crown and once you have your tickets you will get a little text from me on the day telling you where to meet one of our gorgeous drag queens and she will sneak you through the dressing rooms to our debauched den of iniquity.”
Dieter explains why it’s so important for her to celebrate diversity in all its forms when putting together a collective for her kabarett spectaculars.
“It is so important, because you know we are living in a crazy time at the moment where obviously politically and socially there’s a lot of stuff going on that is really driving people to be afraid of each other, to be afraid of what’s different, and really it needs to be the other way,” Dieter says.
“We need to celebrate our differences and come together and get through this as one group of humans, if you will, because we are all strange and beautiful in our own way.”
With all communities struggling in many aspects of their lives over the past year, Dieter hopes Berlin Underground can provide a sanctuary from the madness beyond her walls.
“It allows a place for people to connect, that’s what I’ve always try to do in our show, is to really create an environment where you might reach over and stroke the thigh of your neighbour, or laugh with someone at the bar from something you’ve just seen at it sparks conversation, it sparks connection, and that’s something – especially with COVID – we’ve all been robbed of that while we’re Zooming each other to death.”
“There’s something about being in a room with other humans, there’s just something about that feeling and what it does for your soul that you just can’t get anywhere else. That’s where art especially, live art, is so important. It can raise issues for people to talk about, to think about, to maybe change their mind about some opinions that they had.”
“At least it gives us all a good laugh, which is very important at the moment when we’re all so stressed!”
Bernie Dieter’s Berlin Underground is at Crown Perth until Sunday 13th December. For tickets and more information, head to ticketmaster.com.au
OIP Staff
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