Berlin in Lights: Cabaret, Jazz, and Radical Theater in Weimar Germany

Experience Berlin in the 1920s like never before with *Berlin in Lights: Cabaret, Jazz, and Radical Theater in Weimar Germany*, a vibrant concert film that brings the era’s daring spirit straight to your screen. Brought to life by the PostClassical Ensemble and conductor Ángel Gil‑Ordóñez, the program is guided by guest curator Melissa Wimbish under the artistic direction of Drew Lichtenberg. Step into a cultural crossroads where the improvisational energy of Duke Ellington meets the avant‑garde lines of the Bauhaus, and the battle‑cries of Leninist fight songs echo against the city’s jazz clubs. The highlights include the lesser‑known yet electrifying *Oil Music* by Kurt Weill—his first theatrical work—and a series of racy cabaret numbers and politically charged protest songs: Friedrich Holländer’s “Oh! How We Wish That We Were Kids Again,” Mischa Spoliansky’s “Masculine‑Feminine,” and Hanns Eisler’s incendiary “Abortion is Illegal.” Feel the pulse of the Threepenny Opera with iconic tracks such as “Pirate Jenny,” “Alabama Song,” and “Hosannah Rockefeller” from *Happy End.* Relish Weill’s jazz‑infused set featuring “Bilbao Song,” “Speak Low,” and “My Ship,” before the program culminates in a moving tribute to artists forced into exile. Hear the haunting cinematic score of Dmitri Shostakovich’s *The New Babylon*—the Soviet film about the Paris Commune—projected on screen, underscoring the tragic cultural vanishing of the Weimar epoch. Join us for a post‑concert discussion that delves deeper into this whirlwind period, and explore the rich legacy of a culture that was suddenly cut short. Tickets and full details are available through the provided external link. Ready to witness the dazzling fusion of cabaret, jazz, and radical theater that defined an era? Let the lights shine on Berlin’s revolutionary past.