Kabarett (; from French ''cabaret'' =

tavern A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that h ...

) is satirical

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own du ...

, a form of

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

which developed in France by Rodolphe Salis in 1881 as the ''cabaret artistique''. It was named Le Chat Noir and was centered on 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 The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served pri ...

. By the Weimar era in the mid-1920s it was characterized by

political satire Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing political arguments where su ...

and

gallows humor Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

. 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 ''

'' 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

. Unlike comedians who make fun of all kind of things, Kabarett artists (german: link=no, Kabarettisten) pride themselves as dedicated almost completely to political and social topics of more serious nature which they criticize using techniques like cynicism,

sarcasm Sarcasm is the caustic use of words, often in a humorous way, to mock someone or something. Sarcasm may employ ambivalence, although it is not necessarily ironic. Most noticeable in spoken word, sarcasm is mainly distinguished by the inflection ...

and irony.(1997
''The new encyclopaedia Britannica''
Volume 2, p.702 quote:

History

The first Kabarett venue was the Le Chat Noir in France, founded in 1880 by Rodolphe Salis. It later inspired similar venues in Germany and Austria such as the " Überbrettl", the first Kabarett venue (Berlin, 1901) in Germany and the "Jung-Wiener Theater zum lieben Augustin" in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. Ernst von Wolzogen founded in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

the first German cabaret called ''Überbrettl'' (literally ''Superstage'', a play of words on

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his c ...

's ''

Übermensch The (; "Overhuman") is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In his 1883 book '' Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' (german: Also sprach Zarathustra), Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra posit the as a goal for humanity to set for it ...

'', ''Superman''), later known as ''Buntes Theater'' (colourful theatre), in January 1901. In the foundation of the ''Überbrettl '', von Wolzogen was inspired by Otto Julius Bierbaum's 1897 novel ''Stilpe''. In

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

, the ''Die Elf Scharfrichter'' was co-founded by Otto Falckenberg and others, in April 1901. It is sometimes considered the first political ''kabarett''. Kabarett rohrstock

All forms of public criticism were banned by a censor on theatres in the German Empire, however. This was lifted at the end of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...

, allowing the kabarett artists to deal with social themes and political developments of the time. This meant that German kabarett really began to blossom in the 1920s and 1930s, bringing forth all kinds of new cabaret artists, such as Werner Finck at the ''Katakombe'',

Karl Valentin Karl Valentin (born Valentin Ludwig Fey, 4 June 1882 in Munich – 9 February 1948 in Planegg) was a Bavarian comedian. He had significant influence on Germany, German Weimar Republic, Weimar culture. Valentin starred in many silent films in the ...

(died 1948) at the ''Wien-München'',

Fritz Grünbaum Franz Friedrich 'Fritz' Grünbaum (7 April 1880 in Brünn (Brno), Moravia – 14 January 1941 at the Dachau concentration camp, Germany) was an Austrian Jewish cabaret artist, operetta and popular song writer, actor, and master of ceremonies ...

and Karl Farkas at the Kabarett ''Simpl'' in Vienna, and Claire Waldoff. Some of their texts were written by great literary figures such as

Kurt Tucholsky Kurt Tucholsky (; 9 January 1890 – 21 December 1935) was a German journalist, satirist, and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser (after the historical figure), Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wrobel. Tucholsky was o ...

Erich Kästner Emil Erich Kästner (; 23 February 1899 – 29 July 1974) was a German writer, poet, screenwriter and satirist, known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poems and for children's books including ''Emil and the Detectives''. He received ...

, and

Klaus Mann Klaus Heinrich Thomas Mann (18 November 1906 – 21 May 1949) was a German writer and dissident. He was the son of Thomas Mann, a nephew of Heinrich Mann and brother of Erika Mann, with whom he maintained a lifelong close relationship, and Golo ...

. When the

Nazi party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...

came to power in 1933, they started to repress this intellectual criticism of the times. Kabarett in Germany was hit badly. ( Kander and Ebb's Broadway musical, ''

Cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music, song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, a casino, a hotel, a restaurant, or a nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dinin ...

'', based on the

Christopher Isherwood Christopher William Bradshaw Isherwood (26 August 1904 – 4 January 1986) was an Anglo-American novelist, playwright, screenwriter, autobiographer, and diarist. His best-known works include '' Goodbye to Berlin'' (1939), a semi-autobiographical ...

novel, Goodbye to Berlin, deals with this period.) In 1935 Werner Finck was briefly imprisoned and sent to a

concentration camp Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simp ...

; at the end of that year Kurt Tucholsky committed suicide; and nearly all German-speaking kabarett artists fled into exile in Switzerland, France, Scandinavia, or the United States. When the war ended, the occupying powers ensured that the kabarett portrayed the horrors of the

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hit ...

regime. Soon, various kabarett shows were also dealing with the government, the Cold War and the ''

Wirtschaftswunder The ''Wirtschaftswunder'' (, "economic miracle"), also known as the Miracle on the Rhine, was the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II (adopting an ordoliberalism-based social mar ...

'': Cabaret Ulenspiegel in

, the university cabaret ''Tol(l)leranten'' in

Mainz Mainz () is the capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Mainz is on the left bank of the Rhine, opposite to the place that the Main joins the Rhine. Downstream of the confluence, the Rhine flows to the north-west, with Ma ...

,Hans Dieter Hüsch biography
hüsch.org Retrieved 24 January 2012 the ''

Kom(m)ödchen The Kom(m)ödchen is a cabaret stage in Düsseldorf. The Kom(m)ödchen was created in 1947 as a political-literary cabaret by Kay Lorentz, Kay and Lore Lorentz. Other participants in the initial program ''"Positiv dagegen"'', which had its premiere ...

'' in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

and the Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft in

. These were followed in the 1950s by television cabaret. In the

GDR East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...

, the first state kabarett stage was opened in 1953,

's ''Die Distel''. It was censored and had to be very careful in criticizing the state (1954: ''Die Pfeffermühle'' in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

). In the 1960s, West German kabarett was centred on

, and

. At the end of the decade, the students' movement of May 1968 split opinion on the genre as some old kabarett artists were booed off the stage for being part of the old establishment. In the 1970s, new forms of kabarett developed, such as the television show '' Notizen aus der Provinz''. At the end of the 1980s, kabarett was an important part of social criticism, with a minor boom at the time of

German reunification German reunification (german: link=no, Deutsche Wiedervereinigung) was the process of re-establishing Germany as a united and fully sovereign state, which took place between 2 May 1989 and 15 March 1991. The day of 3 October 1990 when the Ge ...

. In eastern Germany, kabarett artists had been growing more and more daring in their criticism of politicians in the time leading up to 1989. After reunification, new social problems, such as mass unemployment, the privatization of companies, and rapid changes in society, meant that cabarets rose in number.

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth ...

, for example, gained two new cabarets alongside the popular ''Herkuleskeule''. In the 1990s and at the start of the new millennium, the television and film comedy boom and a lessening of public interest in politics meant that television kabarett audiences in Germany dropped. In order to increase interest again the Walk of Fame of Cabaret in Mainz is honoring selected cabaret celebrities; many past cabaret celebrities are honored by stars and each year a star for a living one is added. As of 1999, contemporary active political kabarettists and satirists in Germany include: Urban Priol, Thomas Reis, Arnulf Rating, Heinrich Pachl, 3 Gestirn Köln 1,

Bruno Jonas Bruno Jonas (born in Passau, Germany, on 3 December 1952) is a German Kabarett artist and actor. Education Many people predicted he would become a priest, but he prefers to pray from the Kabarett stage. Between 1975 and 1982, he studied German, ...

Richard Rogler Richard Rogler (born 19 September 1949, in Selb) is a German Kabarett artist and professor of Kabarett at the University of the Arts in Berlin. Early life Rogler studied French and sport at the University of Würzburg. From 1974 to 1978 he was a ...

, Mathias Richling, Dieter Hildebrandt (died 2013), Henning Venske, Matthias Beltz (died 2002), Matthias Deutschmann and Volker Pispers.Pisper, Volker (1999) ''Damit müssen Sie rechnen'', Teil 1, pp. 9-10, in ''Gefühlte Wirklichkeiten'' (2001)

Other notable Kabarett artists

*Willy Astor * Jürgen Becker *Konrad Beikircher *Martin Betz *

Gerhard Bronner Gerhard Bronner (23 October 1922 in Favoriten, Vienna – 19 January 2007 in Vienna) was an Austrian composer, writer, musician and a cabaret artist, known for his contribution to Austrian culture in the post- World War II period. Life Born ...

Karl Dall Karl Bernhard Dall (, 1 February 1941 – 23 November 2020) was a German comedian, singer, and television presenter. His distinctive 'hanging' eye was caused by a congenital ptosis. Family Karl Dall was born in Emden, Germany, the son of ...

* Alfred Dorfer * Gerd Dudenhöffer * Max Ehrlich, died 1944 * Karl Farkas * Ottfried Fischer *Lisa Fitz *

Egon Friedell Egon Friedell (born ''Egon Friedmann''; 21 January 1878, in Vienna – 16 March 1938, in Vienna) was a prominent Austrian cultural historian, playwright, actor and Kabarett performer, journalist and theatre critic. Friedell has been described ...

, died 1938 *Andreas Giebel *Rainald Grebe * Christoph Grissemann *

, died 1941 *Günter Grünwald *

Josef Hader Josef may refer to * Josef (given name) * Josef (surname) * ''Josef'' (film), a 2011 Croatian war film * Musik Josef, a Japanese manufacturer of musical instruments {{disambiguation ...

Dieter Hallervorden Dieter "Didi" Hallervorden (born 5 September 1935) is a German comedian, actor, singer, and cabaret artist. He achieved great popularity in German-speaking countries in the mid-1970s with the slapstick series Nonstop Nonsens and his character Did ...

Peter Hammerschlag Peter Hammerschlag (27 June 1902, Alsergrund, Vienna 1942, Auschwitz concentration camp) was an Austrian writer, surrealist poet, actor, Kabarett artist and graphic artist. He was known for his cabarets, which continue to influence the arts ...

, died 1942 * Eckart von Hirschhausen * Franz Hohler *

Jörg Hube Jörg Hube (22 November 1943 – 19 June 2009) was a German actor and director. He died of cancer. Theatre Some of Hube's roles: *1973 in Plenzdorf's ''Die neuen Leiden des jungen W.'', München *1974 in Brecht's ''Die heilige Johanna de ...

, died 2009 *

Hanns Dieter Hüsch Hanns Dieter Hüsch (6 May 1925, in Moers – 6 December 2005, in Windeck-Werfen) was a German author, cabaret artist, actor, songwriter and radio commentator. With a working life of more than 53 years on the German cabaret stage and 70 of his o ...

, died 2005 *

Georg Kreisler Georg Kreisler (18 July 1922 – 22 November 2011) was an Austrian–American Viennese-language cabarettist, satirist, composer, and author. He was particularly popular in the 1950s and 1960s. From 2007 he lived in Salzburg, Austria, with his fou ...

, died 2011 *Reiner Kröhnert * Maren Kroymann *Frank Lüdecke *

Uwe Lyko Uwe Lyko (born 22 September 1954 in Duisburg) is a German comedian and cabaretist. Life Lyko works in Germany as comedian and cabaretist. He became popular on German television cabaret and comedy shows. ''Herbert Knebel'' is one of his most famo ...

*Rolf Miller *

Wolfgang Neuss Wolfgang Neuss (3 December 1923 – 5 May 1989) was a German actor and Kabarett artist. Beginning in the mid-1960s, he also became famous for his political engagement, first for the SPD, then for the extra-parliamentary opposition, ''APO''. ...

, died 1989 *

Maria Ney Maria Ney (August 6, 1890, in Kiel – April 7, 1959, or April 6, 1961 in West Berlin) was a German cabaret artist, film actress and accordionist. Biography Ney was born in Kiel in northern Germany in 1890. Her father was a physician. She firs ...

* Michael Niavarani * Dieter Nuhr *Günther Paal *Rainer Pause *

Erwin Pelzig Frank-Markus Barwasser (born 16 February 1960 in Würzburg) is a German political satirist and journalist. On stage, he almost always acts as the character of Erwin Pelzig, wearing a corduroy hat. Barwasser grew up in Würzburg, Lower Francon ...

*Sissi Perlinger *

Gerhard Polt Gerhard Polt (born 7 May 1942 in Munich) is a German writer, filmmaker, actor and satirical cabaret artist from Bavaria. Gerhard Polt's main topics are Bavarian people, culture and politics. On stage he often plays the role of an ignorant Bava ...

Andreas Rebers Andreas Rebers (born 7 January 1958) is a Kabarett artist, author and musician from Munich. His shows often incorporate performances on the accordion or the piano. Early life Rebers was born in Westerbrak in Lower Saxony. By the age of 15, Rebe ...

* Lukas Resetarits *

Hagen Rether Hagen Rether (born 8 October 1969 in Bucharest) is a Romanian-born 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 ...

* Mathias Richling *Helmut Schleich * Wilfried Schmickler * Werner Schneyder * Georg Schramm *Horst Schroth *Serdar Somuncu * Emil Steinberger * Dirk Stermann *Ludger Stratmann *Mathias Tretter *Max Uthoff *

Claus von Wagner Claus von Wagner (born 28 November 1977) is a German Kabarett artist, a stand-up observational comic and political satirist. Early life Born in Munich, von Wagner grew up in Miesbach, south-east of Munich. His father, originally from Pruss ...

*Bodo Wartke *Sigi Zimmerschied

Notable Kabarett shows and venues

*''Cabaret Ulenspiegel'' (

) *''Herkuleskeule'' (

) *''

'' (

) *''Mitternachtsspitzen'' (

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

) *''Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft'' (

) *'' Neues aus der Anstalt'' *'' Notizen aus der Provinz'' *'' Pantheon-Theater'' (

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ru ...

) *'' Scheibenwischer'' *' (

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

) *''Tol(l)leranten'' (

)

Difference from other forms

History

Other notable Kabarett artists

Notable Kabarett shows and venues

See also

References

Further reading