Come To The Cabaret Jennifer's Delicious New Act

The Divine MS Ward-Lealand Is on Song

- Amy Prebble

Berlin in the 1920s was a hotbed of cultural creativity and technical innovation. But the escapism and artistic freedom of Weimar Germany went hand-in-hand with growing inequality, nationalism and political storm clouds.

Given the current political climate, it’s no surprise that the era is being revisited in film, literature and art, and Jennifer Ward-Lealand’s cabaret Delicious Oblivion is no exception.

The actress is amazed at how relevant the 1920s songs she’ll perform are today.

“It’s startling,” she says, “especially with how the world is changing. There’s a lot of right-wing white supremacy around, and a rise in fascism and nationalism in the world, which is frightening. I’m reading these lyrics and thinking they could be written now.

“The songs are utterly relevant and they’re funny, moving and extraordinary. I feel like I’m doing a one-woman play but with 18 short stories. You can go completely into the world of each of these songs.”

With her luminous beauty and endless limbs, Jennifer (56), who is mum to Jack (22) and Cameron (19), is perfectly suited to the famed glamour of the era. And she’s certainly no stranger to the world of cabaret, having toured her Marlene Dietrich show Falling in Love Again for 15 years.