POI: The Bar Jeder Vernunft Theater



 


 


 


 

The Bar Jeder Vernunft Theater is a lively bar at night which mirrors the old-style cabaret in a large tent [1]. It is located at 24 Schaperstr Berlin, behind the Berlin University of Arts. The actual original tent was built in the Netherlands in 1912 as it served as a place to hold balls and dances [2]. This style of tent was popular for its time as it lent itself to the art nouveau which was a style of reform. The tent continued to remain popular and admired up until the 1920s World’s Fair in Antwerp, and then the tent went out of style [3]. A few unique features of the Bar Jeder Vernunft is that it mirrors the old style cabaret that was created in 1912 with its bright colours and exuberant shows [4]. Looking from the outside, an individual would not be able to tell that on the inside, this mirror tent has an alive and vibrant ballroom. This ballroom hosts classic cabaret shows, singing, and show and comedy [5]. Many artists have had their careers take off as the audience of this small theater continues to increase through Berlin cabaret curiosity. The bar offers a glamorous form of entertainment for everyone and provides an overall entertainment experience then combined with food, drinks, and a show. When translated, the name of the theater is ‘the bar of every reason’ and in 1992 the bar began top-class cabaret programs [6]. In 2017, the bar turns 25 years old since it was reopened and has since became a leading location for entertainment as well as a source of inspiration for all [7].

"Bar Jeder Vernunft." Das offizielle Hauptstadtportal. Accessed November 13th, 2017. https://www.berlin.de/tickets/theater/tipps/buehnen/2225261-2903274-bar-jeder-vernunft.html

"Bar Jeder Vernunft." Trip Advisor. Accessed November 13th, 2017. https://www.tripadvisor.de/Attraction_Review-g187323-d809596-Reviews-Bar_jeder_Vernunft-Berlin.html

"Bar Jeder Vernunft." Wikipedia. Accessed November 14th, 2017. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_jeder_Vernunft

"Das Spiegelzelt – Theater Bar Jeder Vernunft." Accessed November 13th, 2017. https://www.bar-jeder-vernunft.de/

Berlin cabaret was "engendered in dissolute passion by theater, the variety show, and the political tribunal".[8] It was a product of its time and change which brought about an urban life and artistic change began to flourish in the early twentieth century. The Bar Jeder Vernunft Theater shows how external artistic influence; such as the tent came from the Netherlands, inspired those in neighbouring countries. Entertainment served as a break from daily life for many as they made their way to the various cabarets that were in Berlin. In the early 1930s, Germany began to change with the rise of Hitler and the Nazi regime.[9] As the theater began to lose its audience, partly because of the rise of Hitler, but also the depression that struck Germany, they subsequently shut down in the 1930s, and with that the bright and booming cabaret culture started to die.[10] Furthermore, this affected young adults as it limited their leisure opportunities. What these individuals did with their free time was a way for them to define themselves.[11] This significance of this site correlates with is reopening in 1992 in which its cabaret culture began to grow for the new generation. With the opening of the theater, along with it came the desire for individuals to relate back to the 1920s old style of cabaret and how it would have been performed at the time .[12] As this theater lends itself to all style of entertainment, it is significant to the rising pop culture that started to occur in Germany.[13]. Berlin cabaret also developed into a cultural institution that drew in the general public's attention.[14] Cabarets influenced development in artists careers as many performers got their start in these clubs in later become singer of various genres such as rock and jazz.[15] The cultural and artistic field that was presented to artists allowed those in all sections of art to participate, in terms of music, acting and art. Cultivating and preserving the Berlin cabaret culture after many closed, and were subsequently reopened, was imperative to the Berlin legacy.

Sources

Blühdorn, Anette. "'Der Enkel aus Berlin': Udo Lídenberg and the German Cabaret Tradition." German Life & Letters 55, no. 4 (October 2002): 416-433.

Bodek, Richard. "The Not-So-Golden Twenties: Everyday Life and Communist Agitprop in Weimar-Era Berlin." Journal of Social History 30, no. 1 (1996): 55-78.

Holfer. Robert. "Cabaret goes back to Berlin." Variety 396, no. 12 (November 8th, 2004): 55.

Jelavich, Peter. Berlin cabaret. Vol. 11. Harvard University Press, 1996.

McNally, Joanne M. "Shifting Boundaries: An Eastern Meeting of East and West German 'Kabarett.'" German Life and Letters 54, (2001): 173-190.

Schwabe, Klaus. "World Wat I and the Rise of Hitler." Diplomatic History 38, no. 4 (September 2014): 864-879.

[1] "Bar Jeder Vernunft," Das offizielle Hauptstadtportal. Accessed November 13th, 2017. https://www.berlin.de/tickets/theater/tipps/buehnen/2225261-2903274-bar-jeder-vernunft.html

[2] "Bar Jeder Vernunft," Wikipedia, Accessed November 14th, 2017. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_jeder_Vernunft

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] "Bar Jeder Vernunft." Trip Advisor. Accessed November 13th, 2017. https://www.tripadvisor.de/Attraction_Review-g187323-d809596-Reviews-Bar_jeder_Vernunft-Berlin.html

[6] "Das Spiegelzelt – Theater Bar Jeder Vernunft." Accessed November 13th, 2017. https://www.bar-jeder-vernunft.de/

[7] Ibid.

[8] Peter Jelavich, Berlin Cabaret (Harvard University Press, 1996), 10.

[9] Klaus Schwabe. "World Wat I and the Rise of Hitler," Diplomatic History 38, no. 4 (September 2014): 878.

[10] Ibid, 875.

[11] Richard Bodek. "The Not-So-Golden Twenties: Everyday Life and Community Agitprop in Weimar-Era Berlin," Journal of Social History 30, no. 1 (1996): 59.

[12] Robert Holfer. "Cabaret goes back to Berlin," Variety 396, no. 12 (November 8th, 2004): 55

[13] Anette Blühdorn. "'Der Enkel aus Berlin': Udo Lídenberg and the German Cabaret Tradition," German Life & Letters 55, no. 4 (October 2002): 417.

[14] Joanne M. McNally. "Shifting Boundaries: An Eastern Meeting of East and West German 'Kabarett'," German Life & Letters 54, (2001): 175.

[15] Blühdorn, 417.

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