**** 4 Stars
“Beautifully Performed “
Following a critically acclaimed run at last year’s Festival, Michael Trauffer returns to the Fringe for a late-night run of a queer tale of In/visibility in a new home at Underbelly Bristo Square. This emotive and beautifully performed song cycle set on 28th February 1933 on the closing night of the Fabulett cabaret club in Berlin, closed to conform to Nazi ruled Germany’s persecution of those who did not match the ideology of the master race that would ultimately lead to the holocaust.
Trauffer himself takes on the role of the Emcee who cleverly sets the scene with a history of where Berlin and wider Germany were at in terms of equality up to the point of the Reich take over and what follows is the emotional truth of the cost of persecution weaving together period songs with newly written material in a show which never fails to touch the heart and leave the audience shocked with the reality that faced a generation of people irrespective of colour, class, gender, religion or sexuality.
The fact the performance venue was swelteringly hot actually added to the production and that Trauffer himself was dripping in sweat shows how hard he was working he truly believes in his work and that flows across the footlights.
Fabulett 1933 never fails to get its point across even if it can feel like it’s really ramming into the consciousness, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the care and attention to detail in the shows script and is a real awakening that sadly as we look at the world around us we may well be heading in the same direction nearly 100 years since the Fabulett closed, fascism is on the rise.
Fabulett 1933 serves as rallying call to us all to harness the power of not only theatre but the entire community to tackle fascism and the other causes of persecution and for that, it makes this production a must see at this year’s festival.
Fabulett 1933, Underbelly Bristo Square, (Venue 302) For Info go to: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/fabulett-1933
ScotsGay Arts 