Cabaret always had it hard in times of war. Rose during the decade before WWI, when the war broke out, Berlin cabarets as well as almost all theatres closed out of respect for the gravity of the situation. it was assumed that it would last only several weeks, maybe a few months. It was generally thought that it would be over by Christmas.
But the war didn’t end in weeks, not even in months. It didn’t end at Christmas and soon it became obvious that theatres needed to reopen, entertainers and impresarios who hadn’t joined the war effort needed to work, and the authorities realised that during such a prolonged hostilities, diversion for the civilian population would be necessary.

So cabarets reopened and more than other forms of entertainment easily kept up with the situation, though many things needed to change. Cabaretists teutonified everything, becasue that was the patriotic thing to do. The confériencer for example, lost his French name to take up the German name Ansager. The international star system, that had lend people and shows to so many establishments and had turned Berlin cabaret into the most lively in Europe collapsed at the breaking of the war. No French, British, Russian or any other enemy performers could appear on Berlin variety shows.

Cabaret, like all forms of entertainment, was at aoods with war. The First World War was a time of silence for this form of art #arts #theatre Click To Tweet

This resulted in a fall quality of performances, which was made worse by the necessity to turn to pure entertainment. No more could they make light of social and commercial fashion, nor was the tendency of cabaretists to joke about regional stereotypes still tenable. The caricature of Prussian officers on the level of Goddamn-perfect was considered inappropriate now that those men were dying on the battlefields. The cabaret, which by definition was a sultry commentary on everyday life, was forced to renounce its very soul.

What remained were heavily romantic musicals largely disconnected from the life of the spectators, unless it took up cheap patriotism. Women in these musical always married the soldiers and turned down suitors – even very reach ones – who remained civilians. Some cabaret tried to put some humour in it, by always assured that the war would soon be won.
Some tried to help the war effort by exhorting the audience to contribute time and possession to the war effort and to follow the regulation on rationing.

In short, cabaret tried to do their part in the war, but the Muse largely remained silent in that time. Only after the war, cabaret would rise again.

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RESOURCES

Peter Jelavich, Berlin Cabaret. Harvard University Press, Harvard, 1993

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