Berlin is known for its cabaret scene…read more Bar Jeder Vernunft is a superb cabaret. * * * How would I know this since I don't speak German? Berlin cabaret is the stuff of witty performers tossing out wry life observations, double entendres, and venomous barbs all the while maintaining a poetic outlook on life. If you don't speak German, you are like a child at the adult table. I had two outs. a) I was at a David Bowie tribute that was half in German and half in English. Okay, 80% in German and 20% in English ... But 1/5 of the time I was in the loop. b) I could watch the audience and see what they were doing. The house was cracking up in laughter over and over and over again. Comedians would say the room was "live". The performance got a wild mad standing ovation at the end. I would say the Berliners thought this was an excellent show. * * * What can I say just from my own direct personal experience? a) Shows will obviously vary in quality from one booking to the next. My night had Sven Ratzke, a well established and highly regarded Dutch/German cabaret specialist. The man can sing and the man can dance. His versions of the Bowie classics were better than the Bowie originals, Because he put a lot more soul and emotion into them. b) The shows are hosted by different people, often as not a sophisticated drag queen. Our hostess that night was a superstar. Imagine an elegant refined willow-thin blonde bombshell. She was nearly seven feet high between her heels and her bouffant. This woman had a commanding stage presence. Imagine a cross between the intensity of a Klaus Kinski and the platinum 1920's polish of a Marlene Dietrich. I could have watched her all night - even without understanding a single word she said. c) The ambience is a world of fantasy. The room is set up as a faux circus tent. You feel like you are at the circus the moment you walk in. d) Bar Jeder Vernunft also runs a dinner theater operation for those who want it, with prepaid food before the show and during the break. Dinner theater food tends to be awful. We skipped the prepaid dinner but did order extensively from the kitchen and bar. What we had was surprisingly decent. No surprise - the beer was good. You can go to a convenience store in Berlin, Buy a bottle of beer and Sit on a folding chair on the sidewalk drinking that beer. The beer will be good. The fact that a cabaret would make a point to stock good beer is what one would expect. The cheese plate was far better than I would have expected. Yes - I have been to upscale French cafes where the cheese board was better. But for an everyday cheese board, there was a generous selection of a wide variety of cheeses, fantastic bread, even better butter, beautifully fresh and flavorful grapes, and a surprise horseradish compote to ambush you at unexpected times. The horseradish compote definitely shook me loose from the hazy fog of my beer. * * * If you don't speak German and missing the jokes is going to bother you, Then Bar Jeder Vernunft for you might be a bridge too far. But if you just love the food and the beer and the spectacle and the music ... This could be a magical night. Magical nights are good things.

What a superb venue...We went to see "Cabaret" there and had a good pre-ordered meal at "Half…read moreTime". We had excellent seats close to the stage. A real Berlin experience ! The show was very professional but was in German of course. However I have seen the film so many times and read Chris Isherwoods book, so I could follow the gist and the music was really good. The taxi driver we ordered from the Hilton didn't know where the venue was so thanks to our Citymap we were able to direct him there !! Not easy to find ! Since returning to the UK we went to see the english version in London.

Great dinner theatre space in central Berlin. We went to see Cabaret and were delighted with the…read moreproduction - great singers, dancers, actors, costuming. Was all in German, which I don't speak, but since I knew the story I was able to follow. The space was in a permanent circus tent. Nice AC which seems rare for Berlin. There were poles right in front of the stage but only blocked view now and then. It was cool to hear rain on the tents at one point. We opted for the three course meal which was good for a banquet-style meal. Appreciated the vegetarian option. Service was good considering the amount of tables per person. Only thing I would change is how the payment worked at the end - people rushed the server and it took a long time to settle and get out.

Tipi is a dinner theater venue in the park. They feature a variety of musical productions like…read moreCabaret which we saw last night. There is also a restaurant and bar and you can enjoy dinner at your table during the show. The production of Cabernet was in german which made it a particularly powerful show. If you have seen Cabaret before (movie or stage) english speakers will have no trouble following the story line. The actors are superb and so is the band. Highly recommend.

An absolute delight! A Cabaret story is both entertaining and factually accurate making for an…read moreinteresting and charming show. Performed in Sally Bowles, the atmosphere was cosy and intimate, providing an excellent cabaret experience.

From afar, the Tempodrom looks like a magical place. But as you come closer, the magic fades away…read moreand is replaced by concrete. So was my experience when I visited the venue for the first time just last week; it's facade just wasn't that interesting to me. And in general, I tend to be skeptical of larger concert venues. However, Tempodrom really does deliver, as well as make the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" ring true. The inside is big, with plenty of room to navigate. The entrance itself is on a mezzanine-type level, with stairs up to the seats or down to the concert floor. There are plenty of bars, and though the prices are a bit more than smaller clubs, they still were less than I was expecting (for example, I paid €3,50 for a class of wine that is maybe a euro less at smaller spots). They also sell snack food, such as pretzels, which is kind of a nice touch. The sound was also fine. Granted I didn't try out many spots in the room, but other than being loud (more the bands than the sound itself, thank goodness for earplugs), it was a pleasurable listening experience.

In 1980, a humble West Berlin nurse, Irene Moessinger, realized a lifelong dream by investing her…read moreentire inheritance into a circus tent she named the Tempodrom. After a year, her circus was already bankrupt, but Berlin's city government stepped into save the venture and partnered her with Holger Klotzbach--a renown Cabaret man. The federal government invoked eminent domain in 1999 to forcibly relocate the Tempodrom concert venue away from the planned chancellor's office to the site of the former Anhalter Bahnhof. With private donations and the damages awarded by the German government the Tempodrom was converted into this permanent structure meant to evoke the shape of the circus tent that gave it its start. As with many large projects in Berlin, construction ended up costing twice as much as budgeted and led to a series of resignations over mismanagement charges.

I love coming here…read more I love bringing friends here. I love the music here. I love dancing here. I love how I always exit when the sun is up. Totally cool digs. Bassy will not disappoint. I wish that I lived around the corner, or that they had a spare room for rent on the weekends, just so I wouldn't have to worry about making the trek back home in an exhausted state.

Best prom party for adults…read more You got disco balls here, dudes with coiffed hair, gals with high waisted skirts, and vinyl carts full of the 40's and 50's. I visited three times during a summer in Berlin to listen to visiting bands play Calypso, Folk, and killer 20's Louisiana Jazz, with muted trumpets and all. But the finest offering here is the Burlesque. It puts a** in sassy. Try not chew a finger off. Booze offerings are limited but this is not place to droop over the bar. Except maybe to watch "Das Frauenhaus" playing on one of the walls. Mad I tell you.

Wild at Heart was exactly what I was hoping for. A proper punk/dive bar. It delivered in spades…read more The decor was perfect, messy, dark, a little dank. The peeps were friendly in their own way. Took a little bit of time but eventually they seemed to warm to me. One huge biker dude took a shine to me and kept joking with me all night in broken English. At the end of his night (which was quite early) he swooped in and gave me a kiss on the cheek and wished me a lovely vacation. The bathrooms were cleaner and nicer than the cobalt/funkys/astoria from my dives back home in Vancouver - seriously Vancouver, get your shit together - LITERALLY. Drink prices seemed super reasonable to me. But really anywhere in Europe they seem reasonable to me. Bartender didn't really know how to make a whiskey sour and what I ended up drinking wasn't that fantastic, but I think that's my fault, what the hell was I doing ordering a whiskey sour at this place? Beer seems to be the best bet. The place filled up quick and seemed very popular with the locals and tourists alike.

Wild at Heart is one of the best rock bars in the world. It's exactly like the sort of places I…read morelike to hang out back home... only better! Grab a beer and enjoy great DJs, awesome bands and even a regular burlesque show! I had been told to go here by various people who had travelled there to perform with their bands and I'm glad I listened to their advice. The crowd were all great too, you felt really comfortable and among like-minded people. My favourite night in Berlin was the night I spent at Wild at Heart. GO. I urge you. One final tip - make sure to go next door and eat at Tiki Heart.