The Weimar period remains revered as a pinnacle of artistic freedom. Sandwiched between two world wars, it produced unforgettable composers – Weill, Hollander, Eisler and Spoliansky – and performers such as Marlene Dietrich, Lotte Lenya and Emil Jannings.

Cinema was emerging as a serious art form. It was an era of risk, glamour and iconoclasm – and it was political.

Little wonder artists are harking back to Weimar now, as social norms rooted in decency and kindness erode, tyrants once again dictate moral standards, and ideologies we thought buried are revived by a new generation.

Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett. Photo © Craig Sugden

Bernie Dieter’s Club Kabarett channels that spirit through music, song and circus. It gleefully pushes boundaries of gender, nudity and taste, yet tempers its decadence with a pointed message about identity, feminism and the necessity of human connection.

Dieter presides as den mother, bookending the show with earthy vocals and a ferocious, glittering presence. Audience members dubbed ‘Beardy’, ‘Sexy Specsy’ and ‘Cowboy’ require little coaxing when Bernie — in full Marlene mode — invites them to grab some thigh and...