Cabaret of Desire - Silo Theatre

Allow me to recommend a season of Berlin cabaret at Auckland's Silo Theatre: a 'Cabaret of Desire'! A brilliantly conceived and executed performance in a season that runs until mid-December. Don't miss it. From the playbill:

Sex. Hypocrisy. Defiance. Escape. Silo Theatre explores the biting musical experience of Kurt Weill, Mischa Spoliansky and Frederick Hollander. From MACK THE KNIFE to SURABAYA JOHNNY, these rousing anthems expose the hypocrisy of politics and the art of the possible.

Provoke your spirit with the voice of the underground.

“…the lust and anarchy of the Weimar Republic shall live forever…”
UTE LEMPER

This is music from a time when cabaret had an edge: music that recognised, in the words of lyricist Freidrich Hollander*, whose songs were sung tonight: "Truth is hard and tough as nails/ That's why we need fairy tales" -- and it gave you both harshness and the fairy tale. Kurt Weill, for those who don't think they know him, is the predecessor to people like Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Serge Gainsbourg. Whipsmart music with attitude and bite. If you don't think you know him, or this era of unforgettably pungent music (Alabama Song, Mack the Knife might be familiar?) or if you want to know more, then my own favourite Weill album might be of interest -- Lost in the Stars: A Tribute to Kurt Weill -- or almost anything by Dagmar Krause -- if you can find anything -- or by the luminous Ute Lemper.

And do try and get along to the Silo before the season finishes. You won't regret it.

LINK: Berlin: Cabaret of Desire - Silo Theatre

RELATED: Music, Theatre, History

* PS: Here's a verse and chorus from that song quoted in part above, Hollander's 'Munchausen':

I saw a court of law where all the justices were just again
Where all the lawyers worked for free and all of them were honest men
You could be rich, you could be poor, you could be Christian or a Jew
Your politics did not have sway on how a judge would rule on you
Their hearts were young, their minds were free, they judged all man equally

Chorus:
Liar liar liar liar liar liar
I'm sick and tired of lies from you
But how I wish your lies were true
Liar liar liar liar liar liar
Truth is hard and tough as nails
That's why we need fairy tales
I'm all through with logical conclusions
Why should I deny myself illusions?