What I liked
I went to see the play twice. The first time it seemed that Kelly had to be fed lines on occasion. The second time I went I realized that was part of the act. Marilyn would often be unprepared or forget her lines and had to be fed her lines. Kelly’s acting is so smooth that I could not tell it was acting! When someone accidentally turned on the theater lights Kelly was quick with the ad-libs, while staying in character with Marilyn, making jokes about liking it better in the dark. When people were seated late and went across and in front of the stage her reaction to it was pure Marilyn. I was impressed with her ability for improvisation and professionalism. Marilyn’s cause of death will most likely remain a mystery and there are many theories. Kelly’s theory of Marilyn’s death is both plausible and controversial,
What I didn't like
Extend the play in time. Also, don’t seat people that have to go in front of the stage during the performance. Wait until there is a costume change. I thought it was disrespectful and distracting to have people seated on the stage and crossing the stage while she was speaking. It cut into the magic. I felt like I was there during the interview with Marilyn and was brought back to reality as people cut in front of me. Ask people to be seated in a fashion that would leave seats open on the side of the outer aisle for latecomers. I would hate to miss any of it because I was late or stand because of traffic. LA traffic does not always cooperate with my schedule. It took me about three hours to get there. Then we had to find parking.
My overall impression
This was a moving, sensitive portrayal of Marilyn Monroe. Kelly Mullis researched historical information about Marilyn from many sources. After seeing the play I searched for some of the information I had never known before and found that Kelly did a marvelous job of gleaning many facts that have been exposed about Marilyn. As a writer, Ms. Mullis took those nuggets of information and crammed it into a one-hour production that gives the audience a cross-section account of Marilyn’s life. Marilyn was a complicated individual. Ms. Mullis portrayal of Marilyn was as sensitive as it was mesmerizing. As an actor and singer, she channeled Miss Monroe. Others have imitated Marilyn, Kelly became Marilyn.
