The Burt Bacharach Discussion Forum

Giuseppe Manfridi,a prominent and brilliant Italian playwright, has written a play :Marlene based on the biografy written by Maria Riva, the diva's daughter.The drama is developed through the final period of Marlene Dietrich's life : From 1954 to 1975. The play was written for actress Pamela Villoresi, who plays Marlene.She has been on stage for about 30 years. The reason I Talk about the subject is because Burt Bacharach, as a character, has an important role in the play.Italian actor, David Sebasti,plays Burt.The plot starts in London, when Dietrich,is back on stage for a comeback at the. Cafe de Paris.She confronts her self with the "ghost" figure of Josef Von Sternberg.Who's character is totallly
destroied by alcohool.and away in the desert.Bacharach comes on stage in act 2 of the play.Berlin 1960 BB is in his 30's, Dietrich's talented pianist and arranger.The scene starts with a harsh telepone discussion with a German news repoter that was enphasizing the accusation of treason that a part of the population, and press,were pointing there attention on.Burt is angry because the press and Media describe him as Marlene's latest and youngest lover. Burt appears just as we all know him professionally : Meticolous and demandig,while rehersing before the show. Dietrich tries to influence his carreer and appears to be very Jealous of his relationships with Dionne Warwick, Angie Dickinson, and Hal David.She is obsessed Thinking that they will take and Keep him away from her.He is becoming an internationally established hit maker,film scorer, and his future projects,with Hal include :Promisses,Promisses.It's clear that Marlene and Burt have been very close and intimate to each other. Burt becomes her back stage conscience "Ghost" in the finlal part of the play; Marlene is old and has many health serious problems: she still is on stage in Toronto -1975 - her last stage She has to use a wheelchair in the backstage, her shoes don't fit an finally there is a confrontation With her daughter and she is still obsessed by Josef von Sternberg. in a Sunset Boulevard way. Orso maria Guerini is Josef Von Sternberg, direct by Maurizio Panici.

Bye
Mario Serra

Sounds very interesting! I wonder, however, if Burt knows about this? I wonder, also, if he is (or would be) perturbed about having someone put his life on stage like that. I could very well understand Burt's not wanting this show to go on. How would you like your life played on stage where you had no part in the writing? I wouldn't!

I wonder -- would they need Burt's permission to have an actor portraying him on stage? I mean, what if, for argument's sake, they portrayed him in an unflattering way? Could he sue them for libel? Just curious.

Hi Enormous, I'm not sure that it would be easy for Burt to sue Giuseppe Manfridi, because the play WAS WRITTENon the bases of Maria Riva's biography of her Mother:Marlene Dietrich. I figure tha it would be hard to sue Just one of them,Mr Manfridi, the play is about Marlene's Dietrich's life and "Mith",and Burt BACHARACH , for some time was part of her life. For sure she was not an ordinary person. in many ways. I just wanted to inform the site and Burt an his staff about the play.