Fabulett Productions. Adelaide Fringe 2026. Ruby’s - Holden Street Theatres. February 20th - March 8th, 2026
Michael Trauffer is the creator and performer of The Pink List. Collaborating with Sarah Morrison since 2023, this musical is inspired by the real-life experiences of gay concentration camp survivors. The story is drawn from historical facts and firsthand accounts; particularly those of Karl Gorath, Heinz Dormer and Joseph Kohout.

 Ruby’s at Holden Street Theatres, is a small intimate space - close enough to see the twinkle in Trauffer’s eyes and the beads of sweat on his face. Given the sensitive subject matter, this suited the performance perfectly. As the audience enters the room, we see Trauffer’s character Karl Hellwig handcuffed and withdrawn, slumped against a wall. It is 1957 in West Germany, and he has been arrested on suspicion of homosexuality. Although the war had ended 12 years prior and most Nazi laws dismantled, paragraph 175 of the criminal code was being enforced. Gay men were not recognised as victims of the atrocities in concentration camps and were singled out and put on a list. They were forced to wear a pink triangle patch as a way to identify them.

Trauffer takes us through his life as a young boy in the scouts, his coming of age, his experiences in the camps and his lifelong struggle to be recognised as a victim, along with his pursuit of compensation. Using props and articles of clothing to differentiate between times and places was clever and easy to follow.

I did not think a musical about the holocaust and homosexuality would mesh, but it does. Eleven songs over an hour address loneliness, oppression, injustice, equality but most of all hope. Hope of recognition, based on the human right to exist. Trauffer has a strong voice full of emotion. His characterisation of a young Karl right through to the disillusion of an old man coming to terms with his rejection of compensation is heartbreaking. Laws would change many years after our character’s death, but these minorities seem destined to rally and be heard with each new generation. 

I applaud Trauffer for this piece of theatre. Although I am aware of that abhorrent time in history, I had no clue about “The Pink List” and the men who fought for equality. Trauffer’s raw execution made this an experience I won’t soon forget.

Kerry Cooper