- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: WELSH ACTRESS SIAN PHILLIPS OPENS HER ONE-WOMAN SHOW 'MARLENE'
- Date: 7th April 1997
- Summary: PHILLIPS SAYING A LOT OF HER CLOSEST FRIENDS REFERRED TO HER IN THE MASCULINE BELIEVE IT OR NOT. HEMINGWAY SAID OF HER 'GOD, SHE WAS THE BEST GUY YOU COULD GET IN THE RING WITH.' YOU KNOW SHE WAS A REALLY GOOD PAL AS WELL AS BEING A SEDUCTIVE, GLAMOUROUS ICON (ENGLISH)
- Embargoed: 22nd April 1997 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Arts
- Reuters ID: LVA2Z39QBDW70FRNO4C4IA22E57Z
- Story Text: Welsh actress Sian Phillips on Tuesday (April 8) opened her one-woman show "Marlene" at London's Lyric Theatre after its successful United Kingdom tour.
As the show's name suggests, Phillips plays the German diva Marlene Dietrich - whom she has admired since she first watched the singer perform 25 years ago.
"It is a funny feeling being in that coat and in that dress and in that wig, singing those songs. I'm very down to earth but I feel slightly spooked when I have all that on," said Phillips, who bears more than a passing resemblance to Dietrich herself.
Phillips said that as she took her bows she occasionally felt like she was Dietrich.
The play tells the story of Dietrich's career, but also touches on the sensitive issue of the star's bisexuality.
"A lot of her closest friends refer to her in the masculine, believe it or not," Phillips revealed, "Hemingway said of her 'God, she was the best guy you could ever get into the ring with'. She was a really good pal, apart from being a seductive, glamourous icon".
The play has been a labour of love for Phillips for the last three and a half years. Her agent had earlier suggested she take on the role as long ago as 1981.
"Marlene" is set in a theatre in Paris during the 1970's, when Dietrich was touring the world with her one-woman cabaret.
Phillips said that she admired Dietrich for her strong character. Dietrich dressed the way she wanted, sometimes in male attire, and often travelled alone despite her celebrity. She eventually became a virtual recluse in the years before her death in 1992 at the age of 90.
Asked to suggest a modern equivalent to Dietrich, Phillips named Madonna.
"Marlene" was written by Pam Gems, who is best-known for her plays "Piaf", "The Blue Angel" and "Stanley", which has just opened on Broadway.
Phillips has been touring the show, which includes her performance of Dietrich classics like Falling in Love Again, in 20 different towns and cities around Britain, to rave reviews. After "Marlene" finishes its three-month run in London, she hopes to take the show abroad.
Apart from her work in the British theatre and on Broadway, Phillips most recent film roles include "House of America" and Martin Scorsese's "The Age Of Innocence", with Daniel Day Lewis. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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