By: Darryl Reilly
“This was not suicide; Marilyn Monroe was murdered” declares a Los Angeles Police Department officer near the start of the ambitious and engaging new musical Marilyn Exposed. The star’s life story is faithfully told, there are neat production numbers, and credible conspiracy theories are chillingly depicted.
On the morning of August 5, 1962, the tenacious Sgt. Jack Clemmons arrives at Monroe’s Brentwood house after having been called by her housekeeper. There are numerous empty pill bottles near Monroe’s 36-year-old dead body. Clemmons is suspicious and launches his own investigation. “Follow the money” is his mantra as many stood to monetarily gain by Monroe’s death; she recently planned to alter her will. Suspects include Darryl F. Zanuck, John and Robert Kennedy, Monroe’s psychiatrist, Lee Strasberg, and Arthur Miller. J. Edgar Hoover and Cuba loom, and Monroe’s red diary is pivotal. In classic film noir fashion we get present-day interviews interspersed with flashbacks.
Writer Cornell Christianson’s canny book is a shrewd, breezy, and detailed biographical account laced with plausible speculation. The crisp dialogue is a rich tribute to yesteryear conventions. Ultimately, Mr. Christianson offers a tender homage which skillfully dramatizes key events; most effective is Monroe’s origin story. Factory work, posing for nude photographs, the Playboy fallout, and signing with 20th Century Fox are all sharply rendered. “Sex appeal with innocence” was Zanzuk’s summation of Monroe.
Norman Thalheimer and Beth Lawrence’s worthy score contains their zesty music and well-crafted lyrics. There are several lively company numbers and stirring solos, notably a touching elegiac song for Joe DiMaggio. The score is tunefully realized by music director Erich Rausch on keyboard and by his additional vocal arrangements.
Breathily singing “Happy Birthday” to JFK is a grand highlight of Romy Hansen’s captivating performance as Monroe. The willowy and luminous Ms. Hansen evokes the legend’s vulnerability, sensuality, and comedic timing by beautifully emulating her speech pattern and channeling her bewitching presence. The filming of The Seven Year Itch with the NYC subway exhaust causing Monroe’s dress to rise up and the ensuing physical altercation with DiMaggio showcases Hansen’s dramatic talent; she anchors Marilyn Exposed.
The soulful, wiry, and forceful Collin McConnell is ideal as the intrepid Sgt. Clemmons. Hunky while wearing eyeglasses and perpetually carrying a pipe, the magnetic Craig M. Cartwright totally nails ex-husband Arthur Miller’s conflicting sensitivity, pompousness, and duplicitousness. Chameleon-like Daniel Robert Burns offers vivid characterizations of Joe DiMaggio, the shady psychiatrist, and a noble rabbi.
Sara Jane Beneke’s is majestic as Monroe’s first acting teacher and lover Natasha Lytess, achieving poignancy during their breakup. Jovial Aidan Babbitt’s gusto enables his smooth turns as a devious photographer, JFK, Albert Einstein, and Billy Wilder. Impish and personable Daniel Rubinson’s multiple roles include Lee Strassberg, Peter Lawford, and Tom Ewell.
The sparkling ensemble is completed by Braden Andrew, Jeyna Lynn Gonzalez, Emily Rose Phelan, Shannon Compton, Will DeLargy, CeCe Donathan, Logan Durrah Broadnax, and Gillian Stoltz.
This world premiere presentation of Marilyn Exposed is produced by John Lant and is performed weekly at New York City’s Off-Broadway Actors Temple Theatre. The necessarily modest production values are enhanced by the artistic team’s contributions.
Director Charles Bernard (CB) Murray’s energetic physical staging artfully utilizes the entire auditorium while achieving momentum. There are numerous entrances and exits through the theater’s aisle, and the two-level playing area is creatively used for picturesque effect. Mr. Murray’s euphoric choreography is marvelously retro, conjuring the past the past through old-fashioned movements including jitterbugging bits. That is all gloriously on display in the rollicking W.W. II-era factory sequence “Swing Shift.” “All Roads Lead To Hollywood” is nostalgic razzle dazzle. Murray’s theatrical auteurism fulfills the piece’s intentions through his small-scale epic vision.
Scenic designer Ruihan “Vivian” Huang’s spare and basic components artfully convey many locales, allowing for swift scene transitions. Ms. Huang’s aesthetic projection design visually captures the Hollywood and Manhattan of the 1940’s and 1950’s via striking illustrative imagery. Sound designer Jonniece Howard renders the music and effects with verve. Amanda Scanze’s vintage-style costume design contains snazzy everyday wear and replicates the sexiness of several historic Monroe outfits. The performance under review was efficiently overseen by production stage manager Samantha Stone.
Marilyn Exposed is a fitting, intriguing, and thoughtful entertainment to be welcomely experienced during Monroe’s centennial.
Marilyn Exposed (Mondays for an open run)
Actors Temple Theatre, 339 West 47th Street, in Manhattan
For tickets, visit www.telecharge.com/Marilyn-Exposed
Running time: 100 minutes with no intermission