Ute Lemper: "Rendezvous mit Marlene"

A tribute by the Broadway star to the legend Marlene Dietrich

When Ute Lemper played Sally Bowles in ‘Cabaret’ in Paris almost four decades ago at the age of 23, the newspapers wrote: “The new Marlene” about her. Marlene Dietrich was living in her apartment in Paris at the time, she was 87 years old and had not left her house for a decade. Ute wrote her a letter to express her admiration for the legend and to apologize for the comparisons. Marlene called her back and the two women talked about life, about Germany, about the tragic history, love, courage and freedom of women. The very young Ute listened to the old Marlene for 3 hours, and the impressions grew deeper over the decades. 30 years later, Ute wrote her show “Rendezvous with Marlene”. Her encounter with the legend, Marlene Dietrich, a woman of the future, far ahead of her time, a great and tragic life that was to end in 1992, when Ute herself played Marlene’s parade role in the ‘Blue Angel’ in Berlin. Ute now incarnates Marlene’s story in a time fold. With some of her greatest hits. On the piano: Vana Gierig