The Kulturhaus in Mersch will see three preformances of the first ever production of the Irving Berlin musical theatre production Call Me Madam, on 11 - 13 December, with Cube 521 in Marnach hosting an additional two performances on 16 and 17 January 2016.

The acclaimed muscial Call Me Madam, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, was a tremendous success on Broadway during the 1950s. The play was inspired by the life of Perle Mesta, the wealthy Washington DC socialite known for her extravagant parties. "The Hostess with the Mostess'", as it famously says in the musical, supported Harry Truman during his presidential campaign. After his success in the elections, Truman appointed Mesta to be the first US Ambassador to Luxembourg, where she spent four years from 1949 to 1953.

The appointment of a female politician to a diplomatic position abroad, without any prior experience in foreign affairs, was controversial both in the United States and in Luxembourg. This in turn created a lot of local and international interest as well as high profile visits by celebrities and politicians. Perle Mesta was the first woman to receive the Luxembourg decoration of the Ordre de la Couronne de Chene.

Howard Lindsay's interpretation of Perle Mesta's life story brought forth Sally Adams, glamorous Grand Dame and tenacious businesswoman from Oklahoma, who becomes the American Ambassador to the fictional Grand Duchy of Lichtenburg. The tiny country is in deep financial trouble, hoping for a loan from the United States...

Surprisingly, the musical Call Me Madam has never been performed in Luxembourg to date. The Mierscher Kulturhaus is presenting this production in collaboration with CUBE 521, for this 5-performance professional theatre production. The main cast involves 6 actors, with 14 dancers and a chorus of 10

Director: Claude Mangen
Assistant Director: Julie Fraser

Cast: Edda Petri (from Saarbrucken, German) as Sally Adams; Astrit Alihajdaraj (from Kosovo who trained and lives in Vienna) as Cosmo Constantine; Timothy Lone (from the US and who lives in Luxembourg) as Pemberton Maxwell; Calvin Hudson (UK, who has performed in Aladdin and other shows) as Kenneth Gibson, the press attaché; Emily-Jane Ashford (UK, in her first professional engagement) as Princess Maria; and Clod Thommes (Lux) as Sebastian Sebastian, the Prime Minister.

Music by the Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra (OCL)
Dancers from the Sara Eden school of dance in Esch-sur-Alzette
Chorus from the Schankemännchen asbl

Performances

Fri 11 Dec @ 20:00 @ Kulturhaus in Mersch

Sat 12 Dec @ 20:00 @ Kulturhaus in Mersch

Sun 13 Dec @ 18:00 @ Kulturhaus in Mersch

Sat 16 Jan @ 20:00 @ Cube 521 in Marnach

Sun 17 Jan @ 17:00 @ Cube 521 in Marnach

30 minutes prior to each performance in Mersch, Paul Lesch, historian and director of the documentary Call Her Madam, and author of Playing Her Part, Perle Mesta in Luxembourg, will give an introduction to the subject (i.e. at 19:30 on Fri & Sat, and 14:30 on Sun). Also, in the spirit of Perle Mesta's recipe for a good party: good food, good music and good company, the Mierscher Kulturhaus will organise a special 1950s swing party after the Sat 12 Dec performance - costumes are encouraged!

Tickets cost €28 (reduced €15) and are available from www.luxembourg-ticket.lu  or tel: 470895-1.

Watch out particularly for Emily-Jane Ashford, especially for her incredible singing, and Calvin Hudson primarily for his acting and also for his tap-dancing, who gave electric performances at the press launch on Wednesday.

Photos by Geoff Thompson, (above, L-R): Claude Mangen (director), Julie Fraser (Assistant Director); (below, L-R): Timothy Lone, Edda Patri, Calvin Hudson, Emily-Jane Ashford