Life
1923-1999; b. Berlin [née Bernauer]; dg. Jewish impresario associated
with Kurt Weil, from whom she inherited rights; family moved to London,
1936; broadcast from Blenchley as Vicky; m. Desmond Leslie, moving to
Glaslough with him, 1969; a son, Mark Leslie; separated; settled with
Maurice James Craig at Strand Rd., Dublin; issued The Fun Palace: An
Autobiography (Lilliput 1996), recounting her life up to her arrival
in Ireland in 1969; courageously recovered from brain-tumour; made
autobiographical RTÉ radio broadcast in 1998, with songs; died.
Feb. 1999.
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Works
The Fun Palace (Lilliput 1995), 256pp. 16 ill., with summary details
incl., cabaret in Barcelona; summer in Cannes, ‘received affections
of Claus von Bulow and King Farouk, inter al.; shocked as non-stationary
nude Salomé in London, 1956; one-woman cabaret based on Weil and
Brecht at Peter Cook’s Establishment, Soho; three-week run in West
End; moved to Glaslough, Ireland [Lilliput Catalogue, 1995]. . Reviewed
in Books Ireland (March 1997).
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Notes
‘When is a person not a person?’, Agnes Birnelle appears
as bedridden woman in 15-min. Still Life, written and directed
by Michael Hewitt at Cork Film, Festival; see Irish Times,
7 nov. 1998.
Auf Wiedersehen, Aggie: Account of funeral at Glasnevin [19 Feb.] given in The Irish Times, 20 Feb. 1999; preceeded by service at Star of the Sea Church, Sandymount which 'looked like a theatre programme', and at which Mary Coughlan sang "Isla", Anne Bushnell sang "Je Ne Regrette Rien", and Gavin Friday sang verse from Mack the Knife; David Norris and Andrew Carpenter read "Lament for Imogen" from Cymbeline. Also present were Bertie Ahern (Taoiseach), Ruardri Quinn, leading of the Labour Party, and Ben Briscoe (former Mayor of Dublin)
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Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco)