by Don Church and Tony Schillaci
When we spoke to playwright Greg Thompson prior to the curtain going up on “Marilyn: Forever Blonde!” at the Ivoryton Playhouse, it was to congratulate him as playwright and his actress-singer wife, Sunny Thompson for winning the Connecticut Critics Circle (CCC) Award for “Best Road Show” of the 2008 -2009 season.
Because we had not seen the show, we disqualified ourselves from nominating or voting for “Marilyn….”, and went with our choice, “Jersey Boys” another outstanding road show.
After seeing Sunny’s tour-du-force onstage as Marilyn Monroe, we understood why the majority of our CCC colleagues chose to award this star-quality and talented actress, the well-researched and captivating play, as well as the highly effective scenic, lighting, sound, makeup, and costume design.
Had we seen the show prior to the nominating and voting procedure, we may well have voted in the hope of a tie for “Marilyn: Forever Blonde!” and “Jersey Boys.”
Sunny Thompson is a remarkable actress and singer. She’s as close in appearance, movement and speech to the iconic Marilyn as one will ever see – a brilliantly nuanced impression that captures the essence of Monroe.
Sunny sings a-capella in perfect pitch and key, at times just interpreting a few bars of Marilyn’s movie songs. When she does a full number, as in “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend,” it’s so exacting that we felt as though we were seeing Marilyn incarnate – with all the playful and humorous charm we saw on screen.
The play’s setting is the year Marilyn posed for what would be her final photo session. It’s a recreation of what might have been her last chance to tell her own story in her own words. Thompson used Monroe’s quotes and those of her friends and colleagues to write this musical play with integrity and perception. It also fully reveals his gifts and skill as a playwright
Greg shared a story with us regarding the opening of “Marilyn: Forever Blonde!” in Hollywood. The late Mr. Blackwell, a good friend of Marilyn Monroe, was sitting in the front row of the theater. “He was so close to Sunny that he could have reached out and touched her,” said Greg.
“By the end of the performance Blackwell was in tears, and insisted on going back to Sunny’s dressing room immediately after the performance. Usually, no one is allowed backstage until she has decompressed, taken off her makeup and unwound for a little bit. But, Mr. Blackwell was adamant about seeing her right then and there.
“As soon as Sunny opened her dressing room door, still in her Marilyn Monroe makeup, Mr. Blackwell tearfully said, ‘Marilyn…I thought I would never see you again!’” Such is the realism of both the remarkable physical resemblance and voice of Monroe which Sunny Thompson brings to vivid life on the stage.
Thinking back to the CCC Awards, both Norma Jean and those “Boys” from New Jersey made good in the entertainment business. The “Jersey Boys” also struggled to make it to the top of the entertainment heap, although they, unlike the solitary Monroe, had each other to fall back on during private and professional downturns.
Marilyn, on the other hand, in the end, seemed to have had no consistent support system. If she survived a few more years, and had gotten the peer acceptance she craved, she might have heeded Frankie Valli’s anthem, “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” But her tragic death at the age of thirty-six in 1962 precluded her hearing Valli’s song.
Unfortunately for Marilyn, most things in her life came a little too late. Fortunately for us, Greg and Sunny Thompson and company have given us the pleasure of getting to know some sad truths about Marilyn’s professional struggles and honest insights into her private life.
Watch for this show as it tours the country and the world. It’s a joy to see Marilyn live once more.
Posted on July 8th, 2009 | category: Critics on the Aisle
