Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
modern cabaret and comedy with the occasional chanson
act too; a good bet, though a good knowledge of German is
often needed. Tickets €15-30.
Chamäleon
Rosenthaler Str. 40-41 (in the Hackeschen
Höfe), Mitte
T
030 400 05 90,
W
chamaeleonberlin.de;
S-Hackescher Markt.
Lively, innovative cabaret and
vaudeville shows with jugglers, acrobats and the like.
Seating is around tables and there's a bar, so there's no
harm in turning up early. Tickets €36-49.
Distel
Friedrichstr. 101, Mitte
T
030 203 00 00,
W
admiralspalast.de; U- & S-Friedrichstrasse.
Long-
standing
satirical cabaret theatre in the Admiralspalast
(see p.219) whose performances once even daringly
highlighted the paradoxes and frustrations of the pre-
Wende GDR.
You'll need German. Tickets €14-28.
Friedrichstadtpalast
Friedrichstr. 107, Mitte
T
030 23
26 23 26,
W
friedrichstadtpalast.de; U-Oranienburger
Tor.
Big, flashy variety shows with leggy chorus girls and
fantastical costumes. Tickets €17-105.
Kleine Nachtrevue
Kurfürstenstr. 116, Schöneberg
T
030 218 89 50,
W
kleine-nachtrevue.de;
U-Wittenbergplatz.
Berlin burlesque, intimate and dimly
lit, going for that 1920s feel; much titillation but pretty hit-
or-miss in terms of quality. Tickets €30.
La Vie en Rose
Flughafen Tempelhof, Kreuzberg
T
030
69 51 30 00,
W
lavieenrose-berlin.de; U-Platz der
Luftbrücke.
A drag variety revue with lots of glitter and
lots of skin, magic and comedy in one of the old Tempelhof
airport buildings. There's also a piano bar. Tickets €25-32.
Roter Salon and Grüner Salon in the Volksbühne
Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Mitte.
Lots of interesting and
varied goings on, with occasional performances in English.
Scheinbar Variete
Monumentenstr. 9, Schöneberg
T
030 784 55 39,
W
scheinbar.de.
U- & S-Yorckstrasse.
Experimental and fun; open stage on many nights. Tickets
€8-11.
Tipi am Kanzleramt
Grosse Querallee, Tiergarten
T
030 39 06 65 50,
W
tipi-am-kanzleramt.de;
U-Bundestag.
Mixed cabaret performances in a huge
permanent tent. Shows start with gourmet food and then
progress to lightweight, but often entertaining galas.
Shows Mon-Fri 8pm, Sun 7pm. Tickets €15-45.
Wintergarten
Potsdamer Str. 96, Tiergarten
T
030 588 43 40,
W
wintergarten-variete.de;
U-Kurfürstenstrasse.
Glitzy attempt to recreate the Berlin
of the 1920s, with live acts from all over the world -
cabaret, musicians, dance, mime, magicians. Meals served
while you watch. Tickets €26-60.
15
DANCE
Apart from those regular venues listed below, expect dance performances to pop up at various theatres, particularly the
more experimental ones. You can also see modern ballet and experimental works at the
Komische Oper
(see p.219).
Staatsballett
W
staatsballett-berlin.de.
Berlin's
premier ballet company performs at the Staatsoper and
Deutsche Oper (see p.219). Tickets €14-86.
Tanzfabrik Berlin
Möckernstr. 68, Kreuzberg
T
030
786 58 61,
W
tanzfabrik-berlin.de; U- & S-Yorckstrasse.
Experimental and contemporary works, usually fresh and
exciting. This is also Berlin's biggest contemporary dance
school. Tickets free-€13.
DANCE COMPANIES AND VENUES
Ì
Sophiensaele
Sophienstr. 18, Mitte
T
030 283
52 66; U-Weinmeisterstrasse.
Experimental and
avant-garde dance stronghold in a refurbished 1905
craftsmen's association centre - its programme also
incorporates unconventional fringe theatre, music and
performance art. Many plays are in English. Tickets
around €15.
FILM
When the all-night drinking starts to get too much, it's always possible to wind down in front of the silver screen. The
independent film scene is thriving in Berlin, and art house cinemas abound.
Tip
and
Zitty
have detailed film listings; if a film
is listed as
OF
or
OV
(
Originalfassung
) it's in its original language;
OmU
(
Originalfassung mit Untertiteln
) indicates that it has
German subtitles. Otherwise, the film will have been dubbed into German. Occasionally films are listed as
OmE
- original
with English subtitles. The small selection of cinemas below are either particularly strong on screening English-language
versions of films or just particularly atmospheric.
Ticket prices
range from €7 to €11, but there are always reductions for
children and sometimes for students, too. Also, one day a week, designated
Kinotag
(“KT” in the listings magazines),
normally a Mon, Tues or Wed, the price generally halves. Much smaller than the huge
Berlinale
film festival (see p.223), but
equally global, is the
Jewish Film Festival
(
W
jffb.de) held in Berlin and Potsdam in April.
cinemas in the same cinema group in central Berlin; check
the website.
Kinotag
Mon.
Ì
Babylon Mitte
Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. 30, Mitte
T
030 242 59 69,
W
babylonberlin.de; U-Rosa-
CINEMAS
Babylon
Dresdener Str. 126, Kreuzberg
T
030 61 60 96
93,
W
yorck.de; U-Kottbusser Tor.
New films in English,
with and without subtitles. There are another dozen
