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By Melinda Hughes the Weimar Period Between 1919 An Capturing Weimar Berlin – by Melinda Hughes The Weimar period between 1919 and 1932 was a hothouse for music, art and culture. Germany was crippled by debt, paying off war reparations; hundreds of thousands of people had died in the First World War and there was an influx of Jewish immigration, a direct result of Russian pogroms. 1918 also saw German universities open its doors to Jewish scholars and nine German citizens were awarded Nobel Prizes during the Weimar Republic. Jewish intellectuals and artists were among the prominent figures in many areas of Weimar culture. In 1929, laws against homosexuality were relaxed as the Social Democrats and Communist Party fought for the repeal of Paragraph 175 (stating homosexual acts a crime). This made Berlin an international hub for the LGBT community. There were hundreds of bars and clubs catering to every proclivity. By 1918, as a result of the war, women accounted for 36% of Germany’s workforce and in 1919, German women were given the right to vote and stand for office. The “new women” of the era outnumbered men significantly in Berlin and with newfound freedom and spending power, contributed to what was called “frauenkultur”, a culture developed by and for women. I was first taken by Margo Lion when I read the diary of Mischa Spoliansky given to me by his grandson Chris. Many scenes depicted in MARGO actually took place; Margo’s affair with Marlene, the joke Marcellus played on his friends relating that Margo had died of a heart attack, his bouts of depression, his dependency on prescription drugs and the storming of the premier of Hundert Meter Glück by Hitler’s Brownshirts in 1932. I wanted to enhance Margo’s story with newly-written songs. Stolpersteine is one such song Jeremy Limb and I wrote in 2016 after I had been asked by a relative to look up her family’s “stumbling blocks” in Berlin. I was deeply moved by the long-term project by the artist Gunter Demnig to create small brass stones commemorating those who fell victim to the Nazi regime. Margo continued to work as a singer and actress, specialising in the work of Brecht on stage, and made a further 18 films until 1976 where she retired and, according to a French radio interview with her, became obsessed with painting. Margo returned to Berlin in 1978 to sing at the Berlin Arts Festival accompanied by Mischa Spoliansky. Margo died in Paris on February 25th 1989, three days before her 90th birthday. She never remarried. Melinda Hughes as MARGO. JW3 2018 MARGO: Half woman, Half beast Written by Melinda Hughes with original lyrics and music by Melinda Hughes and Jeremy Limb. Cheyne Productions Ltd Edinbrugh Cast & Crew Margo Melinda Hughes Pianist Michael Roulston Double Bass Alana Dawes Director Sarah Sigal Lighting Sherry Coenen Sound Dan Jeffries Margo Lion Songs featured in MARGO Intro : Berlin im Licht, 1928 (Kurt Weil) sung by Melinda Hughes from the cd Weimar & Back Here in Berlin, 2018 (Hughes & Limb) I am a vamp, 1932 (Mischa Spoliansky & Marcellus Schiffer) Das Lila Lied, 1921 (Mischa Spoliansky & Kurt Schwabach) Kleptomania, 1928 (Mischa Spoliansky & Marcellus Schiffer) Monotonous Night, 1949 (Werner R Heymann) I can’t love, 2018 (Hughes & Limb) Raus mit der Männern, 1926 (Friedrich Hollaender) Life’s a Swindle, 1931 (Mischa Spoliansky & Marcellus Schiffer) Leben ohne Liebe, 1931 (Mischa Spoliansky) Stolpersteine, 2016 (Hughes & Limb) Illusions, 1948 (Friedrich Hollaender) Melinda Hughes, Biography Melinda Hughes is a graduate from the Maastricht Conservatory of Music and the Royal College of Music. She attended The Brussels Opera Studio then toured europe for three years as a soloist with the André Rieu Strauss Orchestra. Melinda then went on to sing more than thirty different main operatic roles. A specialist in Weimar Cabaret, Melinda formed her satirical group Kiss & Tell with co-writer Jeremy Limb, performing at The Al Bustan Festival Beirut, Hay Literary Festival, edinburgh Fringe, Cadogan Hall, Holders Festival Barbados and The Metropolitan Room New York. Her CD ‘Smoke and Noise’ (Nimbus) received rave reviews and they appeared on BBC Radio 4 with Barry Humphries on a programme about Weimar Cabaret. She frequently performs her satirical comedy and cabaret evenings at Zedel Live and Pizza Express Live Holborn. Melinda curates music seasons at The Chelsea Arts Club and Cobblers Cove Barbados. Melinda’s new CD Weimar & BaCk is released in June 2018 on the Nimbus Alliance Label. www.melindahughes.com www.margo.show www.kissandtellcabaret.com www.cheyneproductions.com Cheyne Productions Ltd .
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