Following the international success of his smash hit show Starman, “the supernova of European cabaret,” Sven Ratzke returns to De Oosterpoort with his latest creation: ‘Homme Fatale’. Exploring familiar characters – pimps, lovers, thieves, icons, angels and devils – from a more personal perspective, Ratzke weaves a musical tale of the fatal man, the shark with pretty teeth, the charismatic androgyne showman, the seducer… and his prey. Dressed in costumes designed for the production by Manfred Thierry Mugler (Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Bowie, etc.), Ratzke cuts a striking, larger-than-life figure, an entertainer par excellence, backed by his Dutch/German three-piece band.

From his unique vantage point as one of the world’s few male cabaret superstars, Ratzke reflects and refracts his own life on the stage through a menagerie of legendary homme fatales including Lou Reed, David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Joy Division. In addition to covers by these artists, “Homme Fatale” features original songs written specifically for the show by NYC-based multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter/composer Rachelle Garniez (Taylor Mac’s “The Lily’s Revenge,” The Citizen’s Band); Belgian underground pop star Dez Mona; Irish folk star Lisa Hannigan; and brand new songs by Rufus Wainwright. A master storyteller with a delightful, absurdist sense of humor, Ratzke blends dreams and reality, fiction and fact into a cinematic narrative that takes his audience on a spellbinding trip through a mystical night around the world.

ABOUT SVEN RATZKE

Over a career spanning more than two decades Sven Ratzke has become that rare thing: a cabaret superstar. He has appeared at many prestigious venues around the world including Concertgebouw (Amsterdam’s Carnegie Hall); Bertolt Brecht’s legendary Berliner Ensemble in Berlin; the Sydney Operahouse; and Lincoln Center. His most recent show, Starman, featured the music of David Bowie and was a smash hit at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and toured Australia where it won the Helpmann Award (the Aussie equivalent of a Tony Award). As an actor, Ratzke starred as Hedwig in the Dutch/German production of Hedwig and the Angry Inch and was hailed by the show’s creator, John Cameron Mitchell, as “the best Hedwig I’ve ever seen!” Ratzke has worked with may legendary performers including Nina Hagen, Fassbinder muse Hanna Schygulla, Grammy-nominated opera singer Claron McFadden and NYC icons Justin Vivian Bond and Joey Arias. In October, Ratzkehas starred in his own talk-music show on German national television called “Ratzke’s Rendezvous.”

★★★★★ Tagesspiegel, Berlin
“The shark has feathers: Ratzke is the homme fatale, the glamour animal on stage”

★★★★★ The Stage London
“Ratzke is Surreal, funny and musically sublime”