Review: BLINDED by DELIGHT in Berlin – a highly executed low-brow show
Matthew Paluch sees BLINDED by DELIGHT at the Palast Berlin – wow, circus-style acts are worth the ticket price alone.
| Title | BLINDED by DELIGHT |
| Company | Friedrichstadt-Palast Berlin |
| Venue | Palast Berlin |
| Date | 23 May 2026 |
| Reviewer | Matthew Paluch |
Last night a kick line saved my life!
The above statement is the case after a visit to the Berlin revue theatre, the Friedrichstadt-Palast, or Palast Berlin, to see the latest show BLINDED by DELIGHT.
I read somewhere that the show can be equally enjoyed if you don’t speak German. In retrospect, I’m tempted to disagree. The premise is simple: good versus evil, but without the language (and there are no subtitles), one can’t understand the lyrics of the songs or any connecting passages between numbers. It’s not a deal-breaker… but it does leave one somewhere on the outside.
As a foreigner, I found a highly executed low-brow show. By this, I mean the standard of (almost) everything was good, but the actual content was meh. The large cast of dancers looked well-trained, and a good percentage were giving their all… but the choreography didn’t really inspire. It’s mostly commercial fodder, somewhere between a music video and Eurovision. And this is okay if you know what to expect.
The singing was a little less successful. The story is led by four vocal soloists, and only one of them – Markus Fetter as Dopamine – has the charisma and voice to hold the huge Friedrichstadt-Palast auditorium. The others are acceptable, but not at the same level.
In between the songs and dance numbers, we’re treated to circus-style acts and wow. These divertissements are worth the ticket price alone and confirm the bigger issue: either improve everything else or do more of this!
Four acrobats use giant seesaws to propel themselves some seven metres in the air and flip around until there’s no tomorrow.
Contortionist Viktoriia Dziuba absolutely blows the mind with her hypnotic turns. Never have I seen a body rotate around an axis as she did! The combination of power and unimaginable feats is one for the books.
There’s a short ballet-themed number with the lead dancer on wires. What could have been naff beyond belief actually works. This is largely down to the dancer doing a great job in terms of quality and shape of movement, but also to the fact that every dancer’s fantasy is brought to life – weightlessness.
The second half opens with five bikers using ramps to zip up and down. Now this is some tight choreography! They are amazing in both their technical prowess and showmanship – what a way to restart the show!
Later on, a duo performs a pas de deux using hoops on wires. Just wow. And what’s totally insane is that they do it with zero safety protection in place. Once you get over this trepidation, it’s mesmerising work.
To go back to the beginning, the kick line number for the female corps is amazing. They’re all dressed as bathing belle style pilots, and as the show is in collaboration with Swarovski, we literally are blinded. Never underestimate the power of a simple choreography done en masse. It’s a spectacle, no doubt!
Another important, successful factor of the show is the costumes. American fashion designer Jeremy Scott is responsible, and his idiosyncratic quirkiness is ideal for this kind of theatre. His style is somewhere between The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Mad Max, and it’s an endless feast for the eyes.
A final positive about the show is that it doesn’t repeat itself. Each number/divertissement feels different from the last, and this is no mean feat with this size cast for some two hours of stage time.
Long story short: BLINDED by DELIGHT is a good show, but not genre-defying. Things could improve if the narrative line were stronger or the skills interludes took over – however, for now, the majority of punters will be satisfied regardless. Auf Wiedersehen, meine Lieblinge!
Matthew Paluch was awarded a place at The Royal Ballet School in 1990 where he graduated in 1997. His first four years as a professional dancer were spent working with London City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, K-Ballet and English National Ballet, becoming a full-time member of ENB until leaving in 2006.
Matthew graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance, Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma in 2007, and was formerly on faculty at The Royal Ballet School. He completed his Masters in Ballet Studies at Roehampton University in 2011, has been a freelance writer since 2010 and currently works in the Law Sector.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
