Introduction – The allure of cabaret: Local and global perspectives on a living tradition

Abstract

Cabaret remains an understudied cultural form. While comedy scholarship has prioritised stand-up comedy in examinations of live comedy, research on cabaret has been sparse, and has primarily examined its origins and early successes in turn-of-the-century Paris and Weimar Germany. This special issue brings together cabaret scholars from different geographical and cultural backgrounds, making their work available to an international readership. The issue offers historical, theoretical, and methodological reflections on cabaret, spanning a wide range of themes. This introductory article presents a critical review of existing scholarship, and demonstrates that, despite repeated declarations of its decline, cabaret remains a vibrant and living tradition warranting further study. Additionally, it offers conceptual clarification around a term that has often sparked confusion due to its various historical and contemporary associations. The article highlights cabaret’s romantic allure, linked to the notion of a critical “spirit” rooted in the history of artistic cabaret on the European continent and in the UK, while also recognising its contemporary manifestations–including national traditions of satirical comedy in Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands, and an internationally oriented queer burlesque scene.