''Lunch with Marlene'' is a stage

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

written by Chris Burgess. It is based on the friendship of acting legends

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and Noël Coward. The two were respectively portrayed by

Kate O'Mara Kate O'Mara (born Francesca Meredith Carroll;Michael CoveneObituary: Kate O'Mara ''The Guardian'', 30 March 2014 10 August 1939 – 30 March 2014) was an English film, stage and television actress, and writer. O'Mara made her stage debut in a ...

and

Frank Barrie Frank Barrie (born 19 September 1936) is a British actor, director and writer. He made his acting debut in 1959 in a production of '' Henry IV, Part 2'' at the York Theatre Royal. He proved to be a successful Shakespearean actor throughout his ...

in the play's original

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

production, which ran at the

New End Theatre The New End Theatre, Hampstead, was an 80-seat fringe theatre venue in London, at 27 New End in the London Borough of Camden which operated from 1974 until 2011. It was founded in 1974 by Buddy Dalton in the converted mortuary of the now-de ...

from 28 March 2008 through 27 April 2008. Musical direction and arrangements by Neil MacDonald who also played the role of the waiter and pianist. Reviews for the production were generally positive, with

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

commenting that the play is "far from perfect, yet it is hugely likeable."

Plot

The first act takes place in a restaurant in London in 1970, in which Dietrich and Coward meet for lunch. Dietrich seeks Coward's advice on whether or not to write an autobiography, for which she has already accepted and spent an

advance payment An advance payment, or simply an advance, is the part of a contractually due sum that is paid or received in advance for goods or services, while the balance included in the invoice will only follow the delivery. Advance payments are recorded as a ...

. The two former stars reminisce and discuss Dietrich's experiences as a German American during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The second act presents a

musical revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

, including such songs as " Don't Let's Be Beastly to the Germans", "

See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have "The Boys in the Back Room" is a song written by Frank Loesser, set to music by Frederick Hollaender and performed by Marlene Dietrich in the film ''Destry Rides Again'' (1939). It is often referred to as "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Ha ...

", and "

Where Have All the Flowers Gone? "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" is a modern folk-style song. Inspired lyrically by the traditional Cossack folk song "Koloda-Duda", Pete Seeger borrowed an Irish melody and the first three verses in 1955 and published it in '' Sing Out!'' mag ...

Reception

The original

production, which ran at the

from 28 March 2008 through 27 April 2008, received "rave reviews". ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...

'' called the production a "delightful reconstruction of one of their meetings" and called the musical revue a "further treat". ''

'' said the production was "far from perfect, yet it is hugely likeable" and that the "fascinating" biographical details were at times "awkwardly inserted".

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

also called the dialogue "fascinating" and the casting "impeccable", though the direction by Steward Nicholls "lacked intimacy".

Notes

{{reflist 2008 musicals