Rendezvous with Marlene

Film lovers know that 1928’s Blue Angel created not just a star, but a legend, in the form of Marlene Dietrich who starred as Lola-Lola. She went on to appear in such films as The Garden of Allah, Destry Rides Again, A Foreign Affair, Witness for the Prosecution and Touch of Evil. In later years she toured the world in her cabaret show. Ute Lemper pays tribute to Dietrich in her show Rendezvous with Marlene which is being streamed by Alan Cumming’s Club Cumming beginning November 10th.

Lemper, who is an acclaimed singer and actress, wrote Dietrich a note apologizing for all the comparisons to the legend she received after appearing as Sally Bowles in a 1987 production of Cabaret in Paris. That lead to a phone call from the legend and the two women spoke for over three hours.

As Lemper told Mark Shenton in a 2019 interview for LondonTheatre.co.uk, “I didn’t expect an answer, but a month later she found me and called me. I was staying in a hotel at the time, she called and left a message at reception. They told me Madame Dietrich called – I thought it was a joke – but they told me she said she’d try again in ten minutes, and she did. I was completely overwhelmed – I wasn’t really ready to talk to her! But the good thing was that she didn’t want a conversation, she wanted to talk and I listened.”

That phone call serves as the spine for Rendezvous with Marlene. Lemper debuted the show last year at the Arcola Theatre in London. The show combines stories about Dietrich’s career, her politics, her open sexuality and her love of the poet Rainer Maria Rilke.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an Ute Lemper performance unless there is music. And there is. Amongst the songs performed in the show are Lili Marleen, Just a Gigolo and Falling in Love Again. If the recording is any indication there are approximately 75 minutes of music in Rendezvous with Marlene.

The film was shot at Club Cumming. Press notes describe this is “less a filmed concert and more of a theatrical film.”

There will be four dates when you can stream Rendezvous with Marlene. They are:

November 10th: 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

November 19th: 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST

November 25th: 8:00 PM EST/5:00 PM PST

December 5th: 2:00 PM EST/11:00 AM PST

One more quick connection between Lemper and Dietrich. In 1992 Lemper appeared in a stage production of Blue Angel. Dietrich passed away six days before opening night.

Tickets are $30 for the first date and $25 for all others. Tickets can be purchased here.

Photo: Ute Lemper in Rendezvous with Marlene (Photo by Russ Rowland/Courtesy Club Cumming)