A gin-soaked trip down the rabbit hole with Bernie Dieter
International cabaret icon Bernie Dieter is returning to Fringe World, bringing her reimagined show, Club Kabarett, to the Ice Cream Factory from Friday, January 17, until Sunday, February 16—with tickets on sale now. Featuring a new cast of globally acclaimed artists, this 100-minute ‘gin-soaked trip down the rabbit hole’ is set to feature circus acts, aerial performances, a fire-breathing sideshow, and more. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with the ‘Queen of Wiemar punk’ herself to find out how deep the rabbit hole goes.
It’s great to have you back in Perth for Fringe World 2025! You’ve been a Fringe regular for some time now, and you even stayed in Perth for a bit when the borders were shut due to COVID a few years ago. What keeps you coming back here?
It’s the people that make the city. The people here are so open and curious and truly up for anything! Means the shows are always electric with a buzz and an energy unlike anywhere else in the world. Not to mention there are quite a few amazing gin bars…
And what’s something you make sure you pack for the journey here for a Perth summer?
A huge black umbrella. Being a creature of the night, I’m a bit of a vampire in my approach to sun safety.
You’ll be in a new venue this summer. How will the Bernie Dieter experience be different at the Ice Cream Factory compared to the L’Euro Grande or Berlin Underground?
As we are the only show inside the Ice Cream Factory, we can really transform the space into our very own Berlin cabaret club, the way I’ve always imagined it. Think the Berghain meets the Kit Kat Club—red lights, thick haze, no fourth wall, and one hell of a party.
You will be bringing a cast of performers who have graced the stages of Vegas, the West End, Cirque Du Soleil and more! What’s something we’ll see from these artists at a Bernie Dieter show that’s too debaucherous for any of those other shows?
Well darling, it might be too naughty to print, but let’s just say that our gorgeous artists are the best in the world at what they do, and this season they will be doing things with their bodies on stage that even I haven’t seen before, and that’s saying something!
And for performers that haven’t been here before, how do you describe Perth and its audiences?
I always tell them Perth is hot, sweaty, sexy, and beautiful, and that goes for the city and the people. Also to expect the unexpected—on a balmy summer night in Northbridge, you never know where you will end up, watching the sunrise at Cottesloe Beach or in a drag queen’s front room playing spin the goon bag.
Given the Club Kabarett has a new home at the Ice Cream Factory this summer, I have to ask… if you were to make your own Bernie Dieter ice cream, what flavour would it be and why?
Oh darling I have already planned this in my dreams. Gin-flavoured, with a hint of lime and a high alcohol content!
Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett hits the Ice Cream Factory from Friday, January 17, until Sunday, February 16, 2025. Tickets are on sale now from fringeworld.com.au