Together with Alice Williamson (clarinet) and David Aired, “Berlin Cabaret, Memories’ Lane,” a history of Berlin’s cabarets from 1920 & beyond brought the stories and the songs of the Weimar era to a sold out audience in London’s off-west end Jermyn Street Theatre on 23 March 2014. Written, directed and performed by me in reflection of my time in Berlin (2011-2012), “Berlin Cabaret” brings the sounds and stories of a classic walking tour to the stage through reflections and songs that define the politics of change of the interwar period in Berlin.
From stories by Christopher Isherwood to diaries of Ernest Hemingway, descriptions by Josephine Baker and musings of Kurt Weil and Bertolt Brecht, we knit a memoir of Berlin and her memories of Berlin through visits to 7 cabarets.
“Always in the background was Berlin,” wrote Christopher Isherwood, an English expatriate who lived in Berlin during the 30s. In his novel, “Down there on a visit” he recounts his memories of leaving Berlin as the Nazi regime grew in power in Germnay. For “Berlin Cabaret,” not only do you get to visit some of the cabarets from his neighborhood Schoneberg, but also sample excerpts from my walking tours, “Jazz, Swing & Funk Walking Tours,” from which this performance is based.
The show will revisit the London stage as well as theatre venues in Berlin and Geneva during summer 2014. For theatres interested in hosting this tour, contact: shikakwami@gmail.com.
Voilà!