“Ja, das ist Berlin” — The real Berliner Kabarett Revealed w/ Le Pustra

“Ja, das ist Berlin” — The real Berliner Kabarett Revealed w/ Le Pustra

Our enduring and often perverse fascination with the Berlin Cabaret (or Kabarett) during the unstable Weimar years from 1919 until 1933, conjures up deliciously decadent and delightfully dark visions of frantic dancing to fast-paced jazz, secretive and seedy dim lit nightclubs - catering for all tastes and classes, boundary breaking sexual expression and above all: unlimited artistic freedom for all. Everything was available and anything was possible in this amoral city of the Depraved. It was in the air after all. Berliner Luft to be exact. And according to Mel Gordon’s Voluptuous Panic: The Erotic World of Weimar Berlin, Berliners apparently believed “the alkaline air around the capital contained a toxic ether that attacked the central nervous system, stimulating long-suppressed passions and perversions.”

Join bohemian actor, creative director and salonnier, Le Pustra for an insightful, candid and voyeuristic introduction to the real Berliner Kabarett of the “Golden Twenties” - as it is referred to in Germany. Forget Liza in Fosse’s Cabaret and Isherwood’s Goodbye to Berlin. Let's discuss “Babylon by the Spree” as Le Pustra recalls his own fascinating journey reimagining the notorious and celebrated 1920/30s Berlin Cabaret for the modern stage. Le Pustra will be highlighting some of the fascinating and sometimes strange cabaret venues including The Eldorado, Die Weiße Maus, Tingel Tangel and let’s not forget, the infamous Kabarett der Namenlosen - which will be our focus. We shall also look at the beautiful (and often forgotten) music of the era, the bohemian personalities du jour, the dynamic art scene, women’s fashion and other delicious tidbits.

This excusive event shall conclude with a short performance and Q&A.

________________________

Please note:

DOORS: 6:30PM / SHOW: 7:00PM

NO PHOTOS OR RECORDING

LIMTED TICKETS AVAILABLE. NO REFUNDS.

________________________

About Le Pustra

Le Pustra is an enigmatic self-styled kunstfigur (art figure), performer, creative director, writer, and lecturer whose work has made him a defining figure of Berlin's contemporary cabaret and avant-garde arts scene. Over the past two decades, he has evolved from underground variety performer into an internationally recognised subcultural icon, celebrated for his distinctive visual aesthetic and innovative approach to performance.

He is best known for portraying the sinister Edwina Morell in Babylon Berlin (Seasons 3 and 4) and will reprise the role in the series' fifth and final season, due for release in late 2026.

His work is characterised by a haunting silent-film aesthetic, immersive productions, and a blend of cinematic gothic glamour, dark humour, and the provocative spirit of Weimar cabaret. At its centre is Le Pustra's Kabarett der Namenlosen, the cult production that established his reputation and ultimately led to his television debut in Babylon Berlin.

Beyond the stage, Le Pustra performs with Germany's renowned Moka Efti Orchestra at venues including the Berliner Philharmonie, Leipzig's Gewandhaus, and Hamburg's Laeiszhalle, and has collaborated with institutions including the Goethe-Institut, Humboldt University Berlin, UCLA, Morbid Anatomy, and the Australian National University.

His work has also attracted scholarly attention, appearing in publications by Bloomsbury, Cambridge University Press, Routledge, and Camden House.

Through his striking androgynous persona, dramatic visual style, and ongoing exploration of identity, beauty, and performance, Le Pustra continues to challenge convention and redefine the boundaries between art and life.

________________________

“Le Pustra can be best described as (but not limited to) an iridescent queer kunstfigur – a creation of beauty and living work of Surrealism-inspired art. From underground cabaret darling to accidental club kid-cum-avant-garde fashion muse, Le Pustra is a colorful shapeshifting conduit thriving on visual stimuli”. - Dr Anna-Sophie Jürgens, The National Australian University.

"Le Pustra's work radically alters conventions of beauty, glamour and sexuality"

- SLEEK MAGAZINE

"Morell is played with demonic campiness by contemporary performance artist Le Pustra"

- Jill Suzanne Smith (The Afterlives of Weimar Berlin: Twenty-First-Century Literature, Media, and Visual Culture, 2024)

Note:

*The title refers to the song: Ja, Das ist Berlin Auf Der Tauentzien by Willy Rosen (1924)

Link: Willy Rosen - Das Ist Berlin Auf Der Tauentzien 1924 - YouTube