A story of acceptance

November 22 and 23

Thirroul Community Centre 

In costume and masked, Judy Stubbs lifts herself on to a piano for a classic Weimar-period photo.

It’s an era she adores. A time of superficial glamour in Berlin in the early ’30s, just before the world slid into war – just before Hitler destroyed the city’s soul.

Cabaret of Broken Dreams, a show Stubbs wrote, directed and performs in, is a tale set in two cities, two nightclubs and two cabarets. A story of artists, communists, intellectuals and Jews who escaped Europe before the war and went on to enrich the communities in which they settled.

The second half of the show explores the darker side of that period – examining the stories of those who remained – and a deep sense of loss and longing as the final curtain closes on the last Weimar cabaret in Berlin.

All the while, Stubbs subtly weaves similarities with more contemporary issues surrounding refugees in Australia, inviting the audience to gently reflect on the plight of boat people.

‘‘It’s not a heavy political message, it’s not like we’re hitting people over the head with it,’’ explains Stubbs. 

‘‘But it’s embodied in the work and it’s pretty obvious where we go. I think it’s interesting that if we hadn’t accepted all those people into our community back then, we wouldn’t have this richness of culture that we have now. I know it’s a complex issue, but there needs to be compassion. When I hear the government referring to boat people as illegals, that they’re people without rights, it worries me. I think there are fundamental human rights that need to be upheld and we ignore those at our peril. We need to learn from history.’’

There are so many layers to Stubbs that it’s hard to know where to begin. She has a degree in music and composing and a doctorate in planning law and development. She runs her own business out of the old Bulli Post Office, focusing on affordable housing. In her spare time, she conducts choirs in both Wollongong and Canberra and is a member of the popular cabaret group Funkier Than Alice.

‘‘Music is my passion. I love what I do as a planning consultant and researcher, but music engages my mind in a different way. So every spare time I have, I write music.’’

Stubbs brings together a wide variety of artists for the show – including members of the choir Eklektika and Circus WOW.

Cabaret of Broken Dreams reinterprets the music of Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Florence & the Machine, Garbage and Chrissie Amphlett.

‘‘The character in the cabaret is not the people, it’s the music,’’ she says. ‘‘It’s set in a floaty world with people of the night and through these [historic] news readings you get a glimpse of what’s happening.’’

But she says it’s not politically heavy – the audience can sit back and enjoy the show.