''Marilyn! The New Musical'', (also known as just ''Marilyn!'') is a musical with a book by Tegan Summer, music by Gregoy Nabours, and lyrics by them both. It is based on the life of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe ( ; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; June 1, 1926 August 4, 1962) was an American actress and model. Known for playing comic "Blonde stereotype#Blonde bombshell, blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex ...

, and utilizes people and events from the

golden age of Hollywood Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset *Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome, Stroud#Golden Val ...

. Produced by Prospect House Entertainment, in collaboration with Caesars Entertainment, and Authentic Brands Group the

brand management In marketing, brand management refers to the process of controlling how a brand is perceived in the market (economics), market. Tangible elements of brand management include the look, price, and packaging of the product itself; intangible element ...

company that over sees Marilyn Monroe's estate. With direction by Summers and choreography by Ferly Prado, the original production of ''Marilyn!'' premiered in Las Vegas at the Paris Theater in June 2018, after early preview tryouts at Glendale's Alex Theatre for a one-night-only presentation. Its original stars included Kelley Jakle, from the ''Pitch Perfect'' franchise as Marilyn Monroe.

Synopsis

Michelle is a young journalist from England researching Marilyn Monroe to commemorate the actress' 90th birthday. She visits Charlie Page, one of Marilyn's drivers, who is now living a life of solitude. Two stories emerge as Charlie bonds with Michelle he recalls Marilyn Monroe's phenomenal life in flashback and reveals the real reason behind his living as a recluse for over forty years.

Cast

Musical numbers

''Note: As the Playbill does not designate which act the musical numbers are featured in, the songs are simply listed here.'' * "Norma Jean" – Charlie, Gladys, Grace, Norma Jean, Jimmy, Ensemble * "This Could Be It!" - Norma Jean, Bill, Marilyn, Ensemble * " My Heart Belongs to Daddy" - Marilyn, Ensemble * "I Just Wanna Drive!" - Marilyn, Charlie, Ensemble * "The Picture's Bigger Than The Girl" - Marilyn, Darryl Zanuck, Ensemble * "Villa Nova" - Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn, Ensemble * "The Time of My Life (I Deserve More)" - Marilyn * "I Ain't Stoppin'!" - Ella Fitzgerald, Ensemble * "You Belong to Me" - Marilyn, Darryl Zanuck, Ensemble * "Someone Else Ago" - Marilyn, Bill * "The Battle of the Blondes" - Marilyn, Jayne Mansfield, Ensemble * "Don't Wanna Be Me" - Marilyn, Norma Jean * "The Showgirl In The Spotlight (My, My, Marilyn)" - Marilyn, Milton Greene * "We're Cemented" - Marilyn, Jane Russell * " Happy Birthday, Mr. President" - Marilyn * "I'm Not Saying Goodbye" - Company * " Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" - Company

Productions

Glendale, California

The brain-child of Tegan Summer, CEO of Prospect House Entertainment, ''Marilyn!'', was produced by Prospect House in association with Glendale Arts Productions and premiered at the Alex Theatre in Glendale California.

Las Vegas

In 2017, a condensed version of the show, which ran about 90-minutes, was put on for prospective investors at ''The Space'' in Las Vegas. In April 2018, it was announced that Tegan Summer would be bringing ''Marilyn! The New Musical'' to

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

, with a projected opening date of May 23, at the Paris Theater. It was revealed actress Ruby Lewis would be starring as the titular character. The show opened to mixed reviews, and after less than a month, it was revealed the show would close on June 29, 2018, with plans to reopen September 4. This hiatus was to give producers time to rework the show, but ''Marilyn'' never reopened.

Response

Critical reception

After its one-night-only performance at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, audience reaction was generally positive. Following the sold out event, and positive reactions, Prospect House Entertainment announced encore performances in Beverly Hills, Las Vegas, Beijing, and Shanghai. The Las Vegas production opened on June 1, 2018, to mixed reviews from theatre critics. However, Lewis received widespread acclaim for her performances as Marilyn. The ''Las Vegas Sun'' gave the Paris Theater production of ''Marilyn!'' very positive reviews, with Brock Radke saying, "...the grand opening performance... was a rapid-fire affair, bouncing from song to song with roller-coaster momentum and an extraordinary amount of emotion from a gifted cast anchored by Ruby Lewis as Marilyn." Conversely, Mike Weatherford from

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

NPR called the show, "...half-baked," going on to say, "this mediocre musical doesn’t even give casual fans the screen Marilyn: The sex appeal balanced by a sweetness and vulnerability that made men want to protect as well as possess."

External links

Archived Las Vegas Website

References

{{reflist 2016 musicals American musicals Biographical musicals Biographical plays about actors Cultural depictions of Joe DiMaggio Cultural depictions of Marilyn Monroe Musicals set in the 1960s Works about Marilyn Monroe