Hersh Dagmarr is a London-based Queer singer/songwriter and visual artist. His latest show, Dagmarr’s Dimanche: Songs from the Cinema comes to London’s Crazy Coqs on 1 February 2026.
I enjoyed his previous show, Vamps of Weimar, so asked Hersh to tell me more about Dagmarr’s Dimanche.
Ticket link: https://www.brasseriezedel.com/events/dagmarrs-dimanche-songs-from-the-cinema/
Welcome back to the Crazy Coqs! What should we expect from your latest show?
Thank you! I absolutely adore the Crazy Coqs—one of the rare places in London that truly supports and respect cabaret artists with a vision. The place is gorgeous and the sound is fabulous.
This show is a new edition of my Sunday soirée series Dagmarr’s Dimanche, titled Songs From the Cinema – all about, well, songs from the cinema! Mostly old Hollywood: Dietrich, Monroe, Hayworth, and the like.
I truly adore those moments in classic films when, without necessarily being in a musical, a character suddenly starts singing mid-scene. It always feels like a true miracle. Pure magic.
I consider myself a cinephile, I love all kind of genres but what I’m always seeking first and foremost in films is escape – a shelter from reality.
And those musical moments in golden age cinema that’s exactly what they do and meant for. A suspended moment in time, far removed from the real world.
And that’s what I’m trying to pay homage to with this show.
You have a very strong and powerful stage persona – how do you create that and where did you make your start?
I worked in quite a meta way when creating my stage persona – blending reality and imagination, letting autobiography blur into fiction.
My cabaret alter ego is the ghost of a Weimar Berlin performer whose age and gender remain undefined.
They can’t remember when they were born, but their earliest memory is performing as a chanteuse in late 19th-century Paris, where cabaret itself was born.
From there, they moved to Berlin during the great Weimar era, where they became a local underground star and appeared in a few silent films.
But they somehow disappeared on their way to stardom – it’s not very clear how.
What I love is letting the story write itself organically and discovering it myself as I develop new shows.
Each theme is approached through the lens of this ghostly figure reminiscing about their past.
And honestly I’m not entirely convinced they’re just an alter ego. Sometimes I think I might be the alter ego, and they’re the real one.
How do you select your list of songs for your shows, and what inspired this one?
I always have about 200 song ideas noted down when I come up with a new project.
When putting a show together, I trim the list based on the narrative rhythm, emotional arc, and thematic coherence.
Each song needs to fit the concept while also revealing something about my alter ego’s story and maintaining dynamic pacing.
Cinema, especially classic old Hollywood, has always been a huge part of my creative input.
I’m absolutely fascinated by the industrialised fabrication of dreams that it was then – the extreme artistry that went into creating these larger than life big stars, the discipline required to maintain a persona both on-screen and off.
I’m aware that it came with a dark price and it destroyed many of them, but I have huge respect for the performance art of it all!
In all my previous shows, there was always at least one song from a film.
Even in my all-Kylie Minogue show Minogue Sanctus, my pianist Karen Newby and I arranged a version of “Hand On Your Heart” where I reenact scenes from Fatal Attraction in lieu of verses. That number is also in Songs From the Cinema.
So putting together a show focused entirely on cinema songs came quite naturally. It was already all laid out – I just needed to finally give it centre stage.
Who is your favourite cabaret or cinema icon – or both?
That’s a tough one. I would say it’s a close run between Marlene Dietrich, Josephine Baker, and Hedy Lamarr.
All three of these icons never lost their commitment to the craft while bravely fighting the enemy with glamour, talent, brains and devastating élégance.
You’re also involved in the contemporary music scene – how did that come about?
Producing music and songwriting is my other love. As a former club kid, I’ve always been drawn to electronic music – house and experimental sounds.
It’s quite the polar opposite of the music I explore in my cabaret shows, which tends to look backward rather than forward.
I’ve released a few singles and remixes, but the last couple of years, cabaret and stage shows have been consuming me entirely.
They’re two quite different beasts, equally demanding, and I simply haven’t had the chance to make new music as much as I’d like.
But I will again very soon for sure. Actually, I’d love my next show project to involve original material – maybe even some remixes.
Eventually, my two loves will come together.
And just for fun – you have great hair! Drop us a hint about it!
Ha, thank you! Well, hair is a massive commitment lol. A bit like gardening, really – it takes practice, dedication, and occasionally talking to it encouragingly.
For my cabaret shows, I love using setting lotion to sculpt waves, pinning them exactly where I want them, and letting it all air dry. Takes ages.
Some days I feel it’s a non-negotiable part of the job and presentation, essential to the whole aesthetic. Other days I want to shave it all off because honestly, who has the time?
My heartfelt advice? Buy a wig. Life’s too short. Marlene would approve.