A St Albans playwright will be premiering a thriller revolving around Marilyn Monroe's 'mysterious' death in London.
The play, The Marilyn Conspiracy, is the product of actress and writer, Vicki McKellar’s years of intensive research surrounding the circumstances of the famed actress’ 1962 death.
A shortened version wooed audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and six years later the extended adaptation is set to make its world premiere at London’s renowned Park Theatre.
Marilyn Monroe, the tragic Hollywood icon, will be portrayed by Genevieve Gaunt, known for her role as Pansy Parkinson in the Harry Potter series.
The production boasts a star-studded team including Olivier Award-winning director, Guy Masterson, who co-wrote The Marilyn Conspiracy with Ms McKellar.
Ms McKellar, a St Albans native, is not only behind the scenes but also on the stage as she stars in the show as Patricia Kennedy-Lawford, the sister of assassinated US President John F. Kennedy.
She said: "I’m so proud that after years of meticulously researching the life and tragic death of Marilyn, my play is finally receiving its world premiere in London.
"It really is a dream come true."
The play unravels the enigma surrounding the hours leading up to Ms Monroe’s death.
Having celebrated a new $1m movie deal, she was later found unconscious by her housekeeper and pronounced dead at 11.40pm.
Yet her death was only reported almost five hours later.
The play explores those missing hours and speculates on the true reasons behind her death, beyond the allocated 'suicide' verdict.
Concluding from years of examining every medical report and witness statement, Ms McKellar believes she was murdered, sparking controversy around the world famous film star’s death.
Debuting in the play will also be Footballers’ Wives fan favourite, Susie Amy, in the role of Marilyn’s publicist, Pat Newcomb.
Ms McKellar said: "This has been a ten-year journey to bring this to the London stage.
"I am deeply passionate about creating dynamic, memorable, exciting roles for women, especially middle-aged women, as there still seems to be a sparsity of roles for our demographic."
The Marilyn Conspiracy runs at the Park Theatre from June 19 to July 27.
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