An
intoxicating one-(wo)man cabaret about Hollywood icon Marlene
Dietrich’s extraordinary commitment to duty - songs, sequins, sex.
Dietrich: Natural Duty
Newcastle Alphabetti
Theatre
Wednesday 4th - Thursday
5th July 2018
Created and performed by Peter Groom.
Co-written and directed by Oliver Gully.
It is 1942, on the battlefields of North Africa, in a gold
sequin gown, Marlene Dietrich takes to the stage to launch her own
offensive against the German Reich. For the next three years she would fight
the war her way, with an irresistible mix of songs, sequins, sex and
sympathy.
An intoxicating mix of theatre, cabaret and drag, this critically acclaimed one-(wo)man show – a 100% sold-out hit at VAULT Festival 2018 - uses music, stories and songs including Falling in Love Again, Lili Marlene, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, and Boys in the Backroom, to reveal a Hollywood icon’s extraordinary commitment to duty.
An intoxicating mix of theatre, cabaret and drag, this critically acclaimed one-(wo)man show – a 100% sold-out hit at VAULT Festival 2018 - uses music, stories and songs including Falling in Love Again, Lili Marlene, Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, and Boys in the Backroom, to reveal a Hollywood icon’s extraordinary commitment to duty.
This
real life tale of a legend takes us through the Weimar Republic, the Golden Age
of Hollywood, the Rise of Hitler, a world on the edge of collapse, and a long
journey back to Berlin where it all began.
Born in Berlin in 1901, Marie Magdalene “Marlene” Dietrich soon became a Hollywood legend, and the most famous German woman in the world. However, when World War II was declared, she was forced to choose between the country that she loved, and what she knew was right. Renouncing her German citizenship, Dietrich joined the American Army and fought against her homeland in order to free her people from Hitler. With an American smile and Prussian discipline she would entertain GIs in an evening dress, then put on a combat uniform and head to the front.
As our political landscape becomes more polarised this timely story of duty asks questions about our own moral and ethical obligations, and explores how the fight for freedom can take many forms; whether in a sequin gown, combat uniform, or as a man in a wig.
Peter Groom said: “I’m keen to dissect the use of drag in theatre and explore a way in which drag becomes not just a novelty but an important device / tool in order to help tell a story. I’ve assembled a team that have a strong theatre background and a strong theatrical sensibility to make sure the piece has a strong narrative within the cabaret style framework it is presented in.”
Born in Berlin in 1901, Marie Magdalene “Marlene” Dietrich soon became a Hollywood legend, and the most famous German woman in the world. However, when World War II was declared, she was forced to choose between the country that she loved, and what she knew was right. Renouncing her German citizenship, Dietrich joined the American Army and fought against her homeland in order to free her people from Hitler. With an American smile and Prussian discipline she would entertain GIs in an evening dress, then put on a combat uniform and head to the front.
As our political landscape becomes more polarised this timely story of duty asks questions about our own moral and ethical obligations, and explores how the fight for freedom can take many forms; whether in a sequin gown, combat uniform, or as a man in a wig.
Peter Groom said: “I’m keen to dissect the use of drag in theatre and explore a way in which drag becomes not just a novelty but an important device / tool in order to help tell a story. I’ve assembled a team that have a strong theatre background and a strong theatrical sensibility to make sure the piece has a strong narrative within the cabaret style framework it is presented in.”
Peter Groom is an actor, dancer and choreographer
working mainly with dance and theatre. Graduating Guildford School of
Acting in 2013, he has worked both the UK and internationally (dance
credits include:One Side to the Other Akram Khan Company, acting credits
include: MEAT Schaubuhne Berlin, Romeo and Juliet and Sherlock Holmes Aquila
Theatre, New York). Alongside this he began to create his own devised work.
Peter has been supported as artist in residence at Battersea Arts Centre,
received commissions from IdeasTap, Royal Philharmonic Society, Random Acts,
and is currently Associate Choreographic Dance Maker at DanceCity, Newcastle
for 2016/17. Peter’s latest work Go Away Johnny, funded by Arts Council
England, premiered at DanceCity, Newcastle in March 2017 and will tour
nationally in late 2018. Peter started working as a drag performer in 2016 with
performances at Battersea Arts Centre, The Glory and Royal Vauxhall Tavern. He
writes his own material, a mixture of spoken word, comedy and song parodies.
On The Web:
Twitter: @NaturalDuty @_petergroom
Twitter: @NaturalDuty @_petergroom
“Absolute tour de force, breathtaking” ★★★★★ GayUK“Into
“Do not miss!” ★★★★★ Spy in the Stalls
Dietrich:Natural Duty is being shown as part of Curious
Arts Festival 2018: https://curiousarts.org.
Tickets:
Alphabetti Theatre is Curious: Dietrich: Natural
Duty appears on Wednesday 4th & Thursday 5th July 2018
Show Begins: 7.45pm
Tickets: £7 Full Price*
Age recommendation: 16+
Book online at: https://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/whats-on-menu/coming-up/17-whats-on-articles/308-alphabetti-is-curious-dietrich-natural-duty
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