Kabarett (; from French ''cabaret'' =

tavern A tavern is a type 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 ...

) is satirical

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

, 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, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

which was developed in France by Rodolphe Salis in 1881 as the ''cabaret artistique''. It was named

Le Chat Noir (; French for "The Black Cat") was a 19th century entertainment establishment in the Montmartre district of Paris. It was opened on 18 November 1881 at 84 Boulevard de Rochechouart by impresario Rodolphe Salis, and closed in 1897 not long ...

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 Überbrettl ( ''über, super-cabaret'') was the first venue in German Empire, Germany for literary cabaret, or Kabarett, founded 1901 in Berlin by Ernst von Wolzogen. The German Kabarett concept was imported from French Third Republic, French venue ...

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 Political satire is a type of satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics. Political satire can also act as a tool for advancing political arguments in conditions where political speech and dissent are banned. Political satir ...

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 ''

'' 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 kinds of things, Kabarett artists () 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 inflectio ...

and

irony Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...

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

History

The first Kabarett venue was the

in France, founded in 1880 by Rodolphe Salis. It later inspired similar venues in Germany and Austria such as the "

", the first Kabarett venue (Berlin, 1901) in Germany and the "Jung-Wiener Theater zum lieben Augustin" in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

Ernst von Wolzogen Ernst von Wolzogen (23 April 1855 – 30 August 1934) was a cultural critic, a writer and a founder of Cabaret in Germany. Biography Wolzogen came from a noble Austrian family; he studied Literature, Philosophy, and the history of art in Strasb ...

founded in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

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

Friedrich Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philology, classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche bec ...

's ''

Übermensch The ( , ; 'Overman' or 'Superman') is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In his 1883 book, '' Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' (), Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra posit the as a goal for humanity to set for itself. The repre ...

'', ''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 Otto Julius Bierbaum (28 June 1865 – 1 February 1910) was a German writer. Bierbaum was born in Grünberg, Silesia. After studying in Leipzig, he became a journalist and editor for the journals ''Die freie Bühne'', ''Pan'' and '' Die Insel'' ...

's 1897 novel ''Stilpe''. In

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, 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 The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

, however. This was lifted at the end of the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, 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 – 9 February 1948) was a Bavarian comedian. He had significant influence on German Weimar culture. Valentin starred in many silent films in the 1920s, and was sometimes called the "Cha ...

(died 1948) at the ''Wien-München'',

Fritz Grünbaum Franz Friedrich "Fritz" Grünbaum (7 April 1880 – 14 January 1941) was an History of the Jews in Austria, Austrian Jewish cabaret artist, operetta and Schlager music, popular song writer, actor, and master of ceremonies whose art collection wa ...

and

Karl Farkas Karl Farkas (28 October 1893 – 16 May 1971) was an Austrian actor and cabaret performer. Biography In accordance with the wishes of his parents, he was to study law, but decided to follow the call of the stage. After attending the Academy of ...

at the Kabarett ''Simpl'' in Vienna, and

Claire Waldoff Claire Waldoff (21 October 1884 – 22 January 1957), born Clara Wortmann, was a German singer. She was a famous kabarett singer and entertainer in Berlin during the 1910s to the 1930s, chiefly known for performing ironic songs in the Berlin dial ...

. 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, satire, satirist, and writer. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Kaspar Hauser (after the Kaspar Hauser, historical figure), Peter Panter, Theobald Tiger and Ignaz Wr ...

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'' and '' Lisa an ...

, and Klaus Mann. When the

Nazi party The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party ( or NSDAP), was a far-right politics, far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported the ideology of Nazism. Its precursor ...

came to power in 1933, they started to repress this intellectual criticism of the times. Kabarett in Germany was hit badly. (

Kander and Ebb Kander and Ebb were a highly successful American songwriting team consisting of composer John Kander (born March 18, 1927) and lyricist Fred Ebb (April 8, 1928 – September 11, 2004). Known primarily for their stage musical theatre, musicals, whi ...

'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, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

'', based on the Christopher Isherwood novel, Goodbye to Berlin, deals with this period.) In 1935 Werner Finck was briefly imprisoned and sent to a

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

; 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 (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

regime. Soon, various kabarett shows were also dealing with the government, the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

and the ''

Wirtschaftswunder The ''Wirtschaftswunder'' (, "economic miracle"), also known as the Miracle on the Rhine, was the rapid reconstruction and development of the Economy, economies of West Germany and Austria after World War II. The expression was first used to re ...

'': Cabaret Ulenspiegel in

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

Mainz Mainz (; #Names and etymology, see below) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, and with around 223,000 inhabitants, it is List of cities in Germany by population, Germany's 35th-largest city. It lies in ...

,Hans Dieter Hüsch biography
hüsch.org Retrieved 24 January 2012 the '' Kom(m)ödchen'' in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

and the Münchner Lach- und Schießgesellschaft in

. These were followed in the 1950s by television cabaret. In the GDR, 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 States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

). 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 ''Notizen aus der Provinz'' (German for "News From the Province") is a political cabaret program that was hosted by Dieter Hildebrandt and broadcast by ZDF from 1973 to 1979. After its cancellation, it would be the last such program on the chan ...

''. 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 () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...

. 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 German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

, 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 (19 September 1949 – 11 August 2024) was 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 h ...

, Mathias Richling,

Dieter Hildebrandt Dieter Hildebrandt (23 May 1927 – 20 November 2013) was a German Kabarett artist. Biography Hildebrandt was born in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Weimar Germany (now Boleslawiec, Poland) where he attended school. In World War II he became a Fla ...

(died 2013), Henning Venske, Matthias Beltz (died 2002), Matthias Deutschmann and Volker Pispers.Pispers, 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, died 2007 * Karl Dall, died 2020 * Alfred Dorfer * Gerd Dudenhöffer * Max Ehrlich, died 1944 *

, died 1971 * Ottfried Fischer *Lisa Fitz * Egon Friedell, died 1938 *Andreas Giebel *Rainald Grebe * Christoph Grissemann *

, died 1941 *Günter Grünwald * Josef Hader * Dieter Hallervorden * Peter Hammerschlag, died 1942 * Eckart von Hirschhausen * Franz Hohler * Jörg Hube, died 2009 * Hanns Dieter Hüsch, died 2005 * Georg Kreisler, died 2011 *Reiner Kröhnert * Maren Kroymann *Frank Lüdecke * Uwe Lyko *Rolf Miller * Wolfgang Neuss, died 1989 * Maria Ney, died 1959 * Michael Niavarani * Dieter Nuhr *Günther Paal *Rainer Pause * Erwin Pelzig *Sissi Perlinger * Gerhard Polt *

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, died 2019 *

Georg Schramm Georg Schramm (born 11 March 1949) is a German Kabarett artist. He was a host of the Kabarett shows ''Scheibenwischer'' and '' Neues aus der Anstalt''. Biography Schramm was born in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. His father was a member of the Soc ...

*Horst Schroth *Serdar Somuncu * Emil Steinberger * Dirk Stermann *Ludger Stratmann *

Brother Theodore Theodore Isidore Gottlieb (November 11, 1906 – April 5, 2001), mostly known as Brother Theodore, was a German-born American actor and comedian known for rambling, stream-of-consciousness monologues which he called "stand-up tragedy". His st ...

*Mathias Tretter *Max Uthoff * Claus von Wagner *Bodo Wartke *Sigi Zimmerschied

Notable Kabarett shows and venues

*''Cabaret Ulenspiegel'' (

) *''Herkuleskeule'' (

) *'' Kom(m)ödchen'' (

) *''Mitternachtsspitzen'' (

Cologne Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...

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

) *'' Neues aus der Anstalt'' *''

'' *'' Pantheon-Theater'' (

Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...

) *''

Scheibenwischer (German language, German for ''windshield wipers'') was the name of a long-running Germany, German Kabarett show. It was founded in 1980 by Dieter Hildebrandt and produced by Bayerischer Rundfunk, BR / Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, RBB to be broa ...

'' *' (

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

)

Difference from other forms

History

Other notable Kabarett artists

Notable Kabarett shows and venues

See also

References

Further reading