Barry Humphries’ Weimar Cabaret

Barry Humphries is our masterfully seasoned emcee and cabaret diva Meow Meow our chanteuse in this risqué, sophisticated and seductive tribute to the jazz-infused music of the Weimar Republic.

Some describe it as cabaret’s golden age: the remarkable period in 1920s and 30s’ Berlin when hedonistic partying and social revolution turned nightclubs into hotbeds of decadent entertainment. Reawakening that spirit, our hosts acquaint us with the oft-forgotten composers of the time, many Jewish, whose art would be condemned as ‘degenerate’ by the Nazis, dancing as it did on the edge of a precipice.

Best known as Dame Edna Everage, Humphries shares his personal passion for a period that has long fascinated him, his witty anecdotes and irreverent asides providing interludes to a treasure trove of songs and instrumentals. Meow Meow gives us Kurt Weill standards alongside rarities from Friedrich Hollaender, Ernst Krenek and Erwin Schulhoff, both world-renowned Australian artists are accompanied by London’s trailblazing Aurora Orchestra.

Classical music Theatre & dance

Duration: 2 hours 10 minutes, including an interval
Age guidance: 12+
Language: Performed in English and German
Accessible performance: There is a captioned performance on Thursday 26 July

Sun 15 Jul, Pre-show talk, 1.30pm
Dr Peter Tregear is a renowned expert on the culture of Weimar Berlin, and worked closely with Barry Humphries in designing his Weimar Cabaret. In this pre-concert talk he brings this period of history to life, and introduces the composers and the music that make up the afternoon’s performance. Free to same-day ticket holders.

Sun 22 Jul, Post-show talk
Stay after the show to hear more about the making of Barry Humphries’ Weimar Cabaret. International cabaret diva Meow Meow and musical director, soloist and vocalist Satu Vänskä talk music, culture and what it’s like to work with Barry Humphries. Free to same-day ticket holders.

Co-presented by the Barbican

Produced and co-presented by Fiery Angel