Bulgarian artists are reviving the legacy of the American actress and singer Eartha Kitt in a new cabaret production called Obsessed with Eartha. Blending live music, theatre and jazz, the show transports audiences to another era, tracing the remarkable life of one of the most daring and influential figures on the American stage and screen from the mid-20th century to the early 2000s.
Born in 1927 in South Carolina, Eartha Kitt began her career as a dancer at the age of fifteen. Despite the hardships she faced as an African-American woman, her talent and fierce independence took her all the way to Broadway and Hollywood. She was the first Black actress to play Catwoman in the 1960s TV series Batman, and Orson Welles famously dubbed her “the most exciting woman in the world”. However, after making outspoken comments about the Vietnam War in 1968, Kitt was blacklisted in the United States and forced into exile for over a decade.
“We didn’t want to present just a dry biography,” says Lapshov. 'The story unfolds through the perspective of a heroine who hears one of Eartha's songs on the radio and becomes captivated. In searching for more about Kitt, she ends up discovering herself.'
With 'Obsessed with Eartha', the creative team hopes to revive the tradition of variety theatre in Bulgaria and reconnect audiences with this unique form of live entertainment.
The show will be performed at the In the Mood jazz club in Sofia on 23 October, 26 November and 11 December.
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