Previews: DIETRICH at Revolution Stage Company

DIETRICH, written by Willard Manus, starring Cindy Marinangel, Chicago Second City Conservatory graduate, directed by Glenda Morgan Brown and produced by Sea Angel Productions., LLC is based on a true story. Set in May 1960, the play takes place when the actress returned to the Berlin stage for the first time since fleeing the Hitler regime in the 1930’s. Inside her dressing room at the Tatania-Palast Theater, Dietrich weighs whether to go through with the live performance despite threats on her life by Nazi sympathizers who resented her for having spent much of World War II entertaining American soldiers on the front lines. To them, Dietrich is a turncoat; a traitor who deserves to be shot and killed on stage.

Marlene Dietrich is famous for starring in seven films with Jewish director Josef von Sternberg from 1930-1935. She also donated her entire film salary from A FOREIGN AFFAIR to help Jews come to America, securing housing and jobs forthem. She was personally responsible for selling more WWII war bonds than anyone.

She was awarded the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Ordre national de la Legion d’honneur from France. She was also awarded the Israeli Medallion of Valor in 1965, becoming both the first German-born person and the first woman to receive such an honor.

Neither Dietrich nor her Hungarian composer, Bela Bartok, were Jewish. But both had stood up for Jews in their countries, which made them unwelcome at home. Dietrich, like many European performers who had found success in their native countries, moved to Hollywood before the Nazis’ rise to power. Dietrich enraged the regime by becoming an American citizen in 1937.

That anger simmered for years as the actress continued to show sensitivity to Jews well past the end of the war. During a 1960 visit to Israel, for instance, she asked the audience’s permission before singing in German, according to The Central Zionist Archives.

DIETRICH (formerly known as MARLENE) celebrated its World Premiere at the Brickhouse Theatre in Los Angeles, debuted in New York at the Hudson Guild Theatre as part of the New York Theatre Festival’s annual Winterfest and was selected for the New York New Works Theatre Festival at the Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row. DIETRICH has enjoyed success as a Guest Performance in The Other Space at the Santa Monica Playhouse and limited runs at The Triad Theater, a celebrated Off-Broadway house in New York.

ABOUT CINDY MARINANGEL

Cindy Marinangel is an international actress, a Lifetime Member of The Actors Studio (having studied under Mark Rydell, the late Martin Landau, Ellen Burstyn and Alec Baldwin) as well as a Chicago Second City Conservatory graduate (Stephen Colbert, Nia Vardalos, etc.).

She was in UPtv’s holiday special BEVERLY HILLS CHRISTMAS with Dean Cain and has had leading roles on stage since kindergarten when she played her first queen.

Cindy continued her work on the stage in Chicago, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Berlin, Los Angeles and New York in straight plays and dance shows as well as musicals. She has originated over thirteen roles in new plays to rave reviews, most recently playing Misti in NY’s New Circle Theatre’s workshop production of FRACTURED.

During COVID, Cindy purchased the rights to DIETRICH, the acclaimed, 75-minute solo show-with-music that she produces and stars in. She has sung as Marlene Dietrich in Times Square for International Peace Day and performs an hour-long cabaret show as the international icon, having performed nine shows over three days at the Mid Atlantic Air Show's World War II weekend in their Officer's Club.

Cindy is also a voiceover artist. Her uniquely deep voice was personally chosen by Beyonce’s family to narrate her international half-hour special for E! Entertainment. Cindy voiced two characters in the number one video game BRUTAL LEGENDS with Jack Black, Ozzie Osbourne and other rock legends.

Cindy is the owner of Angel Baker Productions and with her international creative team wrote, produced, and starred in an award-winning short film about a soul connection through lifetimes called ETERNAL WALTZ.

The film was sponsored in part by the Johann Strauss Foundation of Germany and has garnered thirteen awards to date. Among those, she and her cast won “Best Acting Ensemble—Short” in the Culver City Film Festival, “Best Director” in the Amsterdam Around International Festival, “Best Female Film—Mini Movie”, as well as “Best Cinematography—Mini Movie” in the iHollywood Film Festival.

ETERNAL WALTZ was screened in the Action On Festival in Las Vegas. Cindy is an accomplished ballroom dancer with a passion for Latin dancing and swing. She graduated Cum Laude from Purdue University and is an avid cat rescuer who maintains an animal-free diet.

Glenda Morgan Brown (Director/DIETRICH Dialect Coach) is a stage director and actress with extensive credits in each category. She directed her first show in her native Windsor, Ontario, and over the years has tackled many genres: mysteries, including several Agatha Christie plays; musicals, including the iconic The Fantasticks; dramas, including Little Women; comedies, including Blithe Spirit; and suspense, including Dial 'M' for Murder.
 

She's no stranger to one-person shows, having co-written and directed the one-man show Chevalier! about the French entertainer Maurice Chevalier. She also has her one-woman “Wizard of Oz” show, where she distills the 90-minute movie into 30 madcap minutes, performing all the roles and using props and costume pieces at lightning speed.

She has many TV shows and several films under her belt, as well as audio book narration and an Audible UK podcast. She has played roles as diverse as Angel’s Mother in Angel to the wife of the Vice President (Peter Coyote) in Commander in Chief.

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE @ https://www.revolutionstagecompany.com

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