LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
Marlene's Back and HTP Has Her! |
Theatre-lovers from all over will be falling in love again with Marlene Dietrich when the Henlopen Theater Project presents Black Market Marlene for one performance only on May 18 at the Cape Henlopen High School Little Theater.
Critically acclaimed cabaret performer Jamie Beaman will bring the legendary Marlene to life in a musical performance celebrating the provocative singer's celluloid triumphs. "We're thrilled to be able to bring this show and it's astonishing performer to the beach this spring" says HTP Executive Director James FitzSimmons. The New York Times called Beaman's Marlene "perfection" and a "tour de force." HTP chose to launch its 2001 season with this fundraising production in honor of Marlene Dietrich's 100th birthday. Black Market Marlene highlights some of Ms. Dietrich's most memorable musical moments, including songs such as "I May Never Go Home Anymore," "I Can't Give You Anything But Love," and her signature piece "Falling in Love Again." Dietrich films represented in the show include Blonde Venus, Seven Sinners, Foreign Affair, the unforgettable Blue Angel and other nostalgic moments from the 1930's and 40's. Beaman, who has performed the show in New York and Berlin has also been featured in an A&E Biography of Dietrich. Classically trained, with an MFA from Boston University School of Theatre Arts, Beaman has performed roles such as Solange in The Maids and Antipholus in Comedy of Errors. N.Y. critics raved about Beaman's Black Market Marlene, noting the incredible detail and research apparent in the performance. One critic exclaimed "Beaman renders Dietrich so perfectly, so magnificently, I felt like I actually had seen the great lady herself!" With one performance only, tickets are sure to be at a premium for this special HTP presentation of Black Market Marlene. Call for reservations now at 226-4103. Critical raves, performer's insights With the critics going gaga over Beaman's Marlene, the performer has been quite introspective about the opportunity to portray this legend on stage. In one recent interview Beaman speaks of Marlene as a "totally self-made person. She invented the name Marlene. It wasn't even a name," he says. As for the show, Beaman sings in three languages ("But I wanted Dietrich's pronunciation, so when you hear me sing a French song it's French with a German accent"), brings about the illusion without some of the usual preparations of drag ("I don't want to pluck my eyebrows. I'm an actor. If you can't bring about an illusion through artifice then maybe you should find something else to do") and goes for the music over obvious laughs. The New York Daily News says, "If you think doing an impression of Marlene Dietrich is low camp, then you haven't seen James Beaman, whose impersonation is high class." Backstage notes Beaman "manipulating a fur stole as adroitly as he manipulates Dietrich's guttural contralto. Bravo to him for proving that the inimitable Dietrich is, paradoxically, gloriously imitable." And Roy Sander of New York's Backstage says, "On very rare occasionsa few times a decade perhapsa show comes along that is so extraordinary that statements of excellence don't tell the full story. Black Market Marlene provides such a transcendant experience." Tickets: $50 for the show and the champagne reception at the Edward Carter Gallery in Lewes. Tickets for the show only are $40. (HTP subscribers will receive a $10 discount off the show and reception ticket.) Call 302-226-4103 to reserve. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 3, Apr. 6, 2001. |