Pioneering Variety Show Stars, the Kessler Twins, Die Aged 75
Berlin – Alice and Ellen Kessler, the identical twins who captivated european audiences with their synchronized performances and liberated stage presence, have died at the age of 75. the pair passed away peacefully on January 20, 2024, fulfilling a lifelong wish to leave the world together, according to a statement released by their family.
The Kessler twins were groundbreaking figures in post-war variety show culture, challenging conventions with their sensuality and confidence. Their influence extended across generations, notably inspiring Italian superstar Raffaella Carrà, who built upon the foundation they laid. The twins’ passing marks the end of an era for European entertainment and a poignant reminder of their enduring artistic bond.
emerging in the 1960s, Alice and Ellen Kessler quickly became known for their meticulously choreographed routines, often featuring revealing costumes and playful interactions with the audience. They weren’t the first performers to embrace a more liberated style, but they refined it, presenting a unified image of female empowerment and self-assuredness. like earlier performers, they initially drew comparisons to the American act The McGuire Sisters, but soon developed a distinct style. Their performances, which included a signature midriff-baring aesthetic, resonated with a changing social landscape and challenged traditional notions of femininity.
The twins’ impact was notably profound in Italy,where they served as a blueprint for Raffaella Carrà,the biggest and most enduring star to emerge from Italy’s variety show culture. Carrà’s hits Ma che musica and Felicità tà tà feel like spiritual successors of the kessler twins’ Da-da-un-pa and La notte è piccola; and the twins symbolically passed the baton to the next generation when they appeared as guests on an April 1974 episode of variety show Milleluci hosted by Carrà and vocal powerhouse Mina. In one segment, the four women sang about an aspect of their performance and their physiques that most appealed to male viewers. As Italian TV historian Rachel Haworth writes in her book The Many Meanings of Mina, this moment seemed to be both a product of the male gaze and a sly subversion, “as the women use their bodies to illustrate their objectification”.
Even after retiring from show business, Alice and Ellen remained inseparable. In the early 1960s, they famously performed a swing-infused rendition of Heidi Brühl’s 1959 schlager Wir wollen niemals auseinandergeh’n (“we never want to be apart”). The original is an operetta-like waltz and a proclamation of endless romantic love, but the twins’ take emphasized their sisterly and artistic bond: “Wir wollen immer zueinandersteh’n / Mag auf der grossen Welt auch noch soviel gescheh’n” (“we always want to stand side-by-side / Whatever happens in the big wide world”).
In a 2024 interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, they expressed their desire to leave this world together, on the same day, stating that the idea of one of them going first was “very hard to bear.” Their wish was fulfilled, leaving behind a legacy of artistic innovation, sisterly devotion, and a lasting impact on European entertainment.
