Marilyn Monroe died in 1962.
But the actress has lived on in legends about her sorrows, her triumphs, her movies and her love life.
Erin Sullivan tells us about it when she brings her one-woman show, โWith Love, Marilyn,โ to the Old Pueblo. Sheโll be at the Temple of Music and Art Feb. 14-17, courtesy of Arizona Theatre Company.
Sullivan, who travels the country with the show, deeply researched Monroe for this production.
โMarilyn was a beauty and a smart one,โ she said in a 2018 interview. โI think she played a game โ like a chess match. She made a lot of moves to get ahead but lost. She was more than just a pretty face. She was a fighter, a survivor, a victim, and a talent in a time in which women had barely any power, strength or voice.โ
The premise of the show is a look at a rehearsal of a show Monroe is preparing to open. Sullivan, backed by a three-piece band, will perform songs that Monroe had put her distinctive stamp on, such as โDiamonds Are a Girlโs Best Friendโ and โI Wanna Be Loved By You.โ But she uncovered some Monroe recordings of lesser-known songs, and a few of those are thrown in, too.
And itโs apparently working, as this review from Stage Scene LA says: โBreathy-voiced as the screen goddess weโve come to know and love, deeper-throated when not in the public eye, and never less than committed to the role, Sullivan may not be an absolute dead ringer for Marilyn, but โฆ it doesnโt take long to believe yourself in the presence of the real thing, and Sullivanโs vocals are sultry and sensational.โ
Before she slipped into Monroeโs slinky gowns a few years back, Sullivan worked in regional and New York theater, including the national tours of โHairsprayโ and โGrease.โ
โWith Love, Marilynโ is 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14-16 and 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at 330 S. Scott Ave. Tickets are $50 at arizonatheatre.org or 622-2823.
