Life is a cabaret, nothing more. Because of the fascinating, colorful and extravagant nature of its argument. About that famous line by Liza Minelli in the movie Cabaret takes off, in a way, the life of Ute Lemper (Münster, 1963), German singer and actress whose brilliant wake seemed to have fallen into oblivion over the years. The forced break caused by the pandemic did not help either, confesses Lemper, on the other end of the phone, from the New York apartment that she shares with her two children and her husband, also an actor. A quick stop, she clarifies, as her summer is looking busy.
“I just got back from Italy and the day after tomorrow I’m going back to Switzerland. For the first time since the pandemic, I have a really busy schedule. But the rest has also been good for me. The confinement put everything in perspective and for me it was very interesting stay at home for a while and be able to think about the stress of schedules, the crazy pressure of work, the need to take a step back to keep moving forward,” he admits.
Through obstacles and trips, Ute Lemper does not lose pace. He never has, although his face doesn’t appear in the newspapers as often as it once did. Her compositions and her interpretations have toured the Parisian and Berlin theater scene, but also they hit the charts in London’s West End and broke out on Broadway. In 1987, she won the Molière for Best New Actress for her leading role in the French production of Cabaret. 11 years later, she won the Laurence Olivier Award in the category of best actress in a musical thanks to her work in Chicago in London and New York. Now, the myth of the sixty-year-old diva of the Berlin cabaret revives with the show Rendezvous with Marlenea monologue pearled with musical numbers that pays homage to Marlene Dietrich and that will present the Sunday July 30 at the Conde Duque Centeras part of the Veranos de la Villa 2023.
Although the comparisons are hateful, where some find rivalry, Lemper finds inspiration. The germ of the script Rendezvous with Marlene It sprouted some time ago, when she was in her twenties and Dietrich was already around 90. After receiving the Molière award and being compared to Dietrich in countless publications, Ute decided to send a letter to the veteran actress to apologize for all the media attention received. The young woman was at the dawn of her career, while the protagonist of the blue angel he was resting from an existence filled with movies, music, romance, stardom and fetishism. A month later, and to his surprise, Lemper received Dietrich’s call. During three hours of talk, the great legend of the 20th century told him about his life, his work and his history, his relationship with Germany, his desires and the fascinations of he.
“She was confined at home and her voice exuded melancholy. She took the reins of the conversation at all times, she was very direct and clear with me, she did not like being questioned at all,” says Lemper. “I didn’t know how to process it, she spilled a ton of information about her history. He confessed to me the great pain he had for not being able to return to Germany. She just wanted to go back to be buried next to her mother.”