A new book tells the te stori behd Cabaret, and what was possibly the most thrillg gay party scene the world has ever known. Read an excerpt here.
Contents:
GOTHAM, GAY CABARET ACT
* gay cabaret act *
An important aspect of the group was that they did all as an openly gay act, and acrdgly was the first openly gay group to play both the Kennedy Center Washgton DC (1976) and Carnegie Hall NYC (1978). Whisnant:As early as the turn of the century, Berl's gay scene was attractg such notoriety that equently was mentned tourist lerature, liftg up the cy's gay scene as proof of the evils of urban life and the dangers of morny; them, Berl beme the untry's Sodom and Gomorrah put together, a sure sign of the land's the stag of Berl, the Tiller Girls showed off their legs, dancg a Rockett-style performance that amazed and tillated spectators.
For the general public, this world was bewilrg--and que possibly Germany's gay men and lbians, though, Berl reprented promise. Its gay scen offered excg plac to hunt for love and happs. "Diverse, but DividMagn Hirschfeld, a Jewish German physician, sexologist and pneerg gay rights advote, was well acquated wh Berl's scene and mented on the diversy among the bars.
Bis the Mother Cat, Nacke vised several other bars that were gatherg plac for gay men om the workg class and lower middle class. "In many of the rtrants, effemate homosexuals felt relaxed enough to "give ee re to their feme nature.
THE 10 BT GAY MILS OF ALL TIME
Gay-themed Broadway mils have e a long way the past fifty years. The on are the bt. * gay cabaret act *
By far the most famo was the Eldorado a nightclub whose ftive atmosphere attracted not only homosexuals but also artists, thors, celebri, and tourists wantg to admire a piece of "nt" Berl or tch a glimpse of someone Lbian Club SceneLbians uld also be found some of the bars that were voted mostly to gay men [and were] often seen the larger clubs of the 1920s, such as the Topp and the Eldorado.
The Dorian Gray, one of the olst and bt-known gay clubs by the Weimar era, had a special night set asi for the turn of the century, there were also a handful of exclively lbian bars the cy. The atmosphere was generally refed; the lightg was soft and sentimental mic played the of the most famo was Chez Ma Belle Sor on Marburger Strasse, rated Greek-style and furnished wh private booths, where upl uld take refuge behd the gay bars, many of the lbian bars were segregated somewhat by class. "Gay and Lbian BallsBerl's var homosexual tablishments beme famo for the elaborate gay balls that they would throw on regular ocsns.
One French observer of the cy around the turn of the century noted that gay balls were held often several tim a week different clubs durg the ftive season between October and Easter. Lbians sometim uld be found at the male gay balls, and lbian bars held their own balls. They would s down to eat at tabl led wh flowers; the director, drsed a "gay velvet jacket, " would greet the guts and give a short dner, the tabl would be put away, and the orchtra would beg playg waltz and other lively dancg mic while the upl would dance through the night.
GAY RIGHTS
" *Excerpt om the chapter "The Growth of Urban Gay Scen, Berl's Gay and Lbian Bars, " om Queer Inti and Polics Germany: A History, 1880-1945, by Clayton J.
His first book was Male Homosexualy Wt Germany, 1945-1969: Between Persecutn and Freedom. of Gotham performed as Ameri's first openly gay group m stereotyp. of gay entertaers om prev eras.
1978 they were the first openly gay act to play Carnegie Hall.