Underbelly Boulevard, Soho – until 6th January 2024
Reviewed by Ava Clarkson
5*****
Described as “The Queen of Weimar punk” and her troupe of performers and Haus Band, start their 6-week residency as a “dangerously funny kabarett, breathtaking circus and fire-breathing sideshow, at its most inappropriate, provocative and hilarious best – Bernie Dieter and her infamous troupe of bombastic Bohemians are taking over London’s West End!”. This description did not disappoint!
The Underbelly Boulevard is a brand-new West End Theatre. The venue is modern and efficient but welcoming and attentive. When you walk into the auditorium, it is cozy and intimate. All sat in a circle facing a small round stage in the centre, with the jazz house band off to the left playing sultry pop/ jazz as you arrive.
As the audience is seated, performers walk the floor – scantily clad men and women in sequined outfits and skyscraper high heels, welcoming you in a provocative and friendly way.
Once the auditorium doors are closed, the room is bathed in red light and smoke. Bernie arrives stage right in an equally sequined outfit and starts singing in her soaring voice and thick German accent. As one show description states, “no seat is safe in the dark” and Bernie quickly involves audience members in her show. After her first song, audience men in the front row physically carry Bernie back to the stage, where she welcomes everyone and invites us to immerse ourselves in her show, letting loose and getting intimate with the performers we are about to see.
The first act starts…. The acts are accompanied by Bernie singing and the house band. Act 2, act 3… let us not describe them in detail and spoil the show, suffice to say each act showcases death-defying circus-style acts – fire, aerial stunts and human bodies doing things they are not designed to do. The performers are beautiful, toned professionals dressed in leather and sparkling their way through their performance. Full frontal close ups and partial nudity is the norm during the 90-minute show, which goes by in the blink of an eye.
Just before the final act, Bernie engages with the audience again in her sultry voice. Born in East Germany to a German mother and a drunk father, she dreamed of running away to the circus. This show is her circus and her vision as a child.
The final act is the most mesmerising of all, a silk rope from the ceiling, a blond muscular Joe Keeley wearing what can only be described as bondage leather, effortlessly works his way up and down the hanging silks. The audience gasps in awe as he falls from ceiling to stage and again and again. Bernie sings a haunting song called “cracks in the mirror” asking the question “is this the girl you were meant to be?” The song together with the performance has the audience watching with open mouthed. The final act is a stunning climax to an amazing show.
Bernie along with her performers Adam Malone, Blue Phoenix, The Seifert Sisters, Joe Keeley, and Bella Diosa, bought Bernie’s circus vision to life. With Bernie’s cut-throat wit and warm persona throughout the show, the whole experience is a standout triumph. A must see over the next 12 weeks.