Kabarett

Kabarett (German pronunciation: [kabaˈʁɛt]; from French cabaret = tavern) is a form of cabaret which developed in France by Rodolphe Salis in 1881 as the cabaret artistique. It was named the Le Chat Noir and was centered around political events and satire. It later inspired creation of Kabarett venues in Germany from 1901, with the creation of Berlin's Überbrettl venue and in Austria with the creation of the Jung-Wiener Theater zum lieben Augustin housed in the Theater an der Wien. By the Weimar era in the mid-1920s it was characterized by political satire and gallows humor. It shared the characteristic atmosphere of intimacy with the French cabaret from which it was imported, but the gallows humor was a distinct German aspect.

Difference from other forms

Kabarett is the German word for the French word cabaret but has two different meanings. The first meaning is the same as in English, describing a form of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre (often the word "cabaret" is used in German for this as well to distinguish this form). The latter describes a kind of political satire. Unlike comedians who make fun of all kind of things, Kabarett artists (German: Kabarettisten) pride themselves as dedicated almost completely to political and social topics of more serious nature which they criticize using techniques like cynicism, sarcasm and irony.

Le Pustra

Le Pustra or Mr Pustra (1 July 1977) is a multidisciplinary performance artist, singer, musical saw player, model and was originally part of the comedy Cabaret duo, Pustra/Vile-een's Vaudeville that performed from 2006 to mid 2009. The character of Le Pustra is loosely based on Commedia dell'arte's stock character, Pierrot and the Gothic visual style of film director, Tim Burton. Le Pustra is known for his often macabre white face make-up, pointy red lips and romantic and glamorous style, sometimes resembling a Weimar porcelain doll. A self-proclaimed Bon Vivant and 'Vaudeville's Darkest Muse', He appears regularly on the International Circuit in Cabaret, Burlesque,Variety and has appeared in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, New York, Paris, Berlin, Vienna, Perth (Australia), Stockholm and Venice. He is much admired and respected for his personal style, unique persona and melancholic live performances. Other influences include shock artist and fashion designer, Leigh Bowery, countertenor Klaus Nomi, silent film actress Theda Bara, singer/actor David Bowie and the iconic Marlene Dietrich.

Hagen Rether

Hagen Rether (born October 8, 1969 in Bucharest) is a German political cabaret artist and musician. The most remarkable features in his performance are usually the presence and use of a grand piano. He was a frequent contributor to the German Kabarett TV show Scheibenwischer.

Among the topics Rether relates to are not only federal, state and international politics, but also religion, media, consumerism and globalization.

Biography

Hagen Rether spent his childhood in Bucharest and Sibiu, Romania as the son of German, Transylvanian Saxon parents of Siebenbürgen. In 1973, his family relocated to (West) Germany settling in Freiburg im Breisgau. He began studying the piano at eight years of age and attended the Folkwang Hochschule in Essen, where he still lives today (2008).

Prior to touring with his solo show, he was the pianist in Ludger Stratmann's show as well as performing with other artists. Since 2003 he has presented his show "Liebe" (en.: Love), which he constantly updates and varies according to the contemporary requirements of every performance.