Gender-bending British comic is a whip-cracking hit in Berlin From talking to Woodhead, it is clear that this is not just a flight of fancy, but an all-consuming dedication to his art. He studied musical theatre at stage school and was a rising star in classical piano, but struggled to bring the two disciplines together. His path became clear to him while studying the culture of 1920s Berlin in his second year at Dartington College of Arts in Devon. He came to the city on an exchange trip and fell in love, but it was only once he had eliminated the option of moving to New York - he wrote his dissertation on cabaret performance in Manhattan while living there - that he finally settled on Europe. He explains: "There are so many articulations of cabaret. I was also fascinated by underground 20s politics; laughing at things. In the UK, the arts scene is split between West End musical theatre, straight theatre, stand-up comedy and burlesque shows in smaller clubs, but there are no big venues where it's all fused together. He explains how the variety performance died out in the UK but never disappeared from the scene in Germany. Here, it's all about the intimate atmosphere and poking fun at politics. It's all about freedom, sexually and politically. I ask what inspires him day to day, and he begins with a tribute to his adoptive city: "So many artists come here. You have to be at the top of your game. It would be very easy to get stuck in the party scene which is so saturated that you have to be the best at what you do. He talks of the derelict factories that are fleetingly converted into discos before shutting down. This is a city in flux, like a teenager still finding its feet. People are free to express themselves here. They come here to find something, or themselves, but there's no sense of a rat race. Woodhead is something of a chameleon, having always loved glam rock and dressing up a la Joan Collins in Dynasty. Gender roles are central to the understanding of the city that he uses to inform his shows. In Berlin I love that there are men who wear heels and make-up and it's not a statement about gender. Male and female relationships here have very fluid roles, so I love playing with that on stage by dressing very masculine men in heels and feminine clothes - just for the shock factor. He claims every show is sold out and says the crowd is an eclectic mix, ranging from 16 year-old students trying to learn English in a more interesting setting than a classroom, to people in their 70s who love the fusion of classical music and burlesque. Fish and Whips, although hosted in English, has a large list of German regulars, as well as the tourists and stag parties that pass through Berlin hoping for an evening of authentic local entertainment. They are not disappointed, it seems, as there is something for everyone to enjoy. Woodhead recounts one occasion where singers from the British Embassy choirs came and performed as guests in the show. He planted 40 men and women aged between 25 and 70 in the audience, whence they sprang, mid-show, and sang You'll Never Walk Alone. What, then, does the future hold for him? Woodhead feels that Berlin is his home, and is working closely with David Pereira, a gymnast, contortionist and dancer. Their show, David Pereira's Trip, is billed as an avant-garde high-energy drug trip for the senses, blending electronic house music, piano and voguing, and pushes the boundaries of gender with an androgynous cast. They recently returned from touring the show in Melbourne, Australia, and it is currently showing in the Wintergarten in Berlin. The talented pair have plans to tour around the world, and Woodhead says: "I hope I stay creative and inspired and excited by projects. I want to keep everything fresh and keep people thinking as I travel around. As I emerge from my Baz Luhrmann-esque trip around the technicolour world Woodhead creates and inhabits, I am left with the sense that I have spoken to a true artist, living and breathing his creations. I leave him to don his eight-inch Swarovski heels and work his magic once more.