They called me the “Star of Berlin”. I called myself Claire Waldoff. And sang songs about Hermann although I was in love with my Olga… That was too much for some of those philistines: a woman in love with a woman! And an odd woman at that: I smoke and swear like a sailor. My hair is red and I wear suit and tie like a guy. And sing the songs of Jewish composers. And I’m successful! These are wild times! I’d never thought I’d be a Berlin brat. Back in Hanover I was called Clara Wortmann. After school I wanted to study medicine. But there was no money. I fell in love with Berlin and the theatre: cabaret was my vocation! Fresh and exciting – it was a blast! I performed in music halls in Berlin and all over Germany! Claire Waldoff was a cabaret artist and singer. She embodied the spirit of Berlin. Her career ended in 1938, partly because she had an open relationship with another woman. When the war started she left Berlin. She is buried alongside her partner Olga in Stuttgart.

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