J E N N I F E R   W A R D - L E A L A N D
F A L L I N G   I N   L O V E   A G A I N

Falling in Love Again is now available on CD.  Click here for more information or to order, or here to download a sample of a song (1 MB). The press kit for the cabaret is available here.

In 2002 Jennifer Ward-Lealand was approached to play the title role of Marlene Dietrich in a production of Marlene by British playwright Pam Gems.  In mid 2003 the (potent pause) production opened at the Herald Theatre in Auckland to a sold out season.

Following the success of this production, Jennifer was asked to perform a Dietrich cabaret for The Edge/AK03 Festival Club.  Falling in Love Again was devised in collaboration with musical director Grant Winterburn.  Singing highlights from Miss Dietrich's films, concerts and recordings, Jennifer features songs by Cole Porter, Edith Piaf, Frederic Hollander and Pete Seeger.  Jennifer and Grant are joined by bass player Aaron Coddel.

Beautifully lit by lighting designer Andrew Malmo, and featuring an exquisite recreation of one of Dietrich's famous gowns, this show vividly captures the style and glamour of a time gone by.

REVIEWS

Downstage Theatre Season
Jennifer took Falling in Love Again to the Downstage Theatre in Wellington for a season in July/August 2007.  Additional shows were added when the scheduled season sold out.

DOMINION POST  
"When statuesque Jennifer Ward-Lealand first appears on stage wrapped in a long fur coat and wearing a reproduction of the famous dress that caused a sensation in the 1950's, reincarnation for a moment seems a possibility. . . . Ward-Lealand neither sends up her subject by camp exaggeration nor attempts an exact replica of Marlene in voice and mannerisms. . . . She pays tribute by suggestion, by singing 23 of Marlene's songs and by singing them with an energy and style that, if my memory of recordings and films is correct, are an improvement on the originals."

With the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra
In April 2007, Jennifer Ward-Lealand Falling in Love Again was, for the first time, presented with orchestral accompaniement when Jennifer performed it with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra using arrangements by Russ Garcia. 

The following are excerpts from the review of that performance:

THE PRESS
"When Jennifer Ward-Lealand makes her appearance as Marlene Dietrich in decolette and white fur, the audience is well and trully anticipating the chanteuse--and Ward-Lealand, one of New Zealand's top performers, knows this and doesn't disappoint.

"Anyone doing 'die Dietrich' runs the risk of falling into cliche or caricature because of Dietrich's extraordinary character and vocal mannerisms. . . . Sensibly Ward-Lealand opts to interpret rather than duplicate, showcasing the songs and memories . . . and evoking the goddess more thoroughly than any impersonation could--and I had no idea she could sing as well as everything else."

"The audience laughed, swayed and got moist in the eyes. . . . Jennifer Ward-Lealand's performance was scintillating."

Falling in Love Again in Australia
This was immediately preceded by a sell-out tour to Australia:

CANBERRA TIMES "'Glamour is what I sell; it's my stock in trade,' Marlene Dietrich once said.  Leading New Zealand actress Jennifer Ward-Lealand sold it in spades as she brought her impersonation of the legendary goddess of the silver screen and stage to a packed house at the Street Theatre.  . . . Ward-Lealand stood before her audience as a stunning incarnation of the sultry siren of the sung and spoken song.  . . . Ward-Lealand, superbly accompanied by Winterburn and Coddel, payed revered homage to Dietrich's idiosyncratic style, flavouring her renditions with a range of emotions from the seductive to the cynical."

AK07/The Famous Spiegeltent

Two shows in the Famous Spiegeltent during AK07 were sell-outs as well:

GAYNZ.COM
"From the moment of her regal entry . . . Jennifer Ward-Lealand is in charge.  The audience is hers, the music is hers, and the night is hers.

Nothing is left to chance.  Every eye movement, gesture, posture, is timed to perfection, just as Dietrich herself did so instinctively.  It's clear that a lot of research has been done, but in the hands of anyone less formidably gifted, all the research in the world wouldn't have been enough, for genius, too, is required to produce a performance of this standard.  And the Voice--a far better instrument than that of the original owner and used to the fullest nuance, its rich timbre almost more seductive and certainly less sprecht and more gesang."

"The Famous Spiegeltent, the very one in which this show was played twice, actually hosted Marlene Dietrich in 1938, I was told.  What an amazing coincidence and what a frisson was felt upon experiencing her reincarnation whilst the ghost of her presence presumably hung around watching, probably nodding approval."

Touring New Zealand
Jennifer has been performing Falling in Love Again at venues throughout New Zealand to critical acclaim:

THE BAY CHRONICLE
"Alluring, seductive, delicious, ambrosial, sultry, glamorous, naughty and just downright sexy--Jennifer Ward-Lealand is Marlene Dietrich incarnate.  . . . A superb evening of 22 of Dietrich's most memorable songs brought to life by the remarkable, stunning Jennifer Ward-Lealand . . . 

"Superb music accompaniment by pianist extraordinaire Grant Winterburn and bassist Aaron Coddel.  Amazing how this music duo could produce such a big sound . . .  Andrew Malmo, your lighting was fabulous".

THE NELSON MAIL
"A consummate performance from our fine actress, Jennifer Ward-Lealand, brought this magnetic screen and stage goddess to life.  The mannerisms, movements, phrasing, and husky smoking voice were all there."

WAIKATO STAR TIMES
“She displays styles from pert and coquettish, through poignant, patriotic and passionate, to the wry vamp we all recall . . . This glamorous cabaret salute is, above all, a night of wonderful music making.”

CAPITAL TIMES
"Ward-Lealand is Marlene in gesture, mood and movement – masterfully capturing her alluring and seductive personality from stage and screen."

"Ward-Lealand’s ability to use Dietrich’s distinctive and unusual phrasing was magical to listen to . . . "

"This show is a stunningly good piece of sophisticated cabaret, hugely rewarding and enjoyable."

BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
"As one of New Zealand's foremost actors, we all expect Ward-Lealand to carry a character - and she did, complete with German accent and sizzling physicality.

But it was her voice that was truly impressive.  Ranging from deep growl to coquettish whisper, she delivered each song as if from Dietrich's own heart, with expert accompaniment from pianist Grant Winterburn and bassist Aaron Coddel."

"Picture Dietrich and those dreamy heavy eyelids immediately come to mind.  Ward-Lealand even managed to channel this detail by pausing at the end of songs with a dramatic look up as if waiting for the last notes to float down from the ceiling and settle on the enchanted audience."

HAWKES' BAY TODAY
"Ward-Lealand’s interpretation of this chameleon of a woman is right
on the money, and confirms to us why she is still classed as one of
the nation’s leading actresses.

From the moment she stepped on stage looking gorgeous, she had
the audience in the palm of her hands.  . . . the minute she walked through those curtains she was Dietrich."

DOMINION POST
" . . . Ward-Lealand is wise in her choice not to break character; her dedication and conviction adds weight to her recreation of an icon and an era."

"She does a superb job in recreating the phrasing and tone – the very colour - of [Dietrich’s] voice; her clipped intonation on Cream in my Coffee . . . and the drippy vowel sounds and buzzy consonants that surround her interpretation of Cole Porter’s The Laziest Gal in Town are highlights."