If you want to see a completely different side of the Marilyn Monroe myth, be sure not to miss The MM&M Productions & Trap’s Enterprises Production of Frank V. Furino’s Marilyn.....Madness & Me in The Monroe Forum at The El Portal Theatre in the NoHo Arts District running through Oct. 13.
The story of an auto mechanic by day and limousine driver by night who meets Marilyn Monroe, becomes obsessed with her and dedicates his every waking moment to her is told in first-person style and dramatized by fictional excerpts from Monroe’s diary.
This play takes us through the turbulent 1960s in a unique, daring and deeply imaginative manner.
Among the decade’s newsmakers mentioned at one time or another are: Arthur Miller, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lawford, Joe DiMaggio, The Rat Pack, John F. Kennedy, Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, Robert Kennedy and Sirhan Sirhan.
What every audience member must decide for him or herself is how much of Furino’s play and Didier Bloch’s original concept to believe, if any.
Furino’s writing is magnetic and intelligent. At times riveting and compassionate, Furino pens a play thick in Hollywood and Washington DC lore and wisdom.
Joe Leonardo’s direction is crisp and creative. It allows the acting, action and language to take place unabated, unfiltered and unstopped.
Adam Meyer (Tim) is sensitive and utterly human in a convincing and humorous performance that defines the play. In the Second Act Meyer is freewheeling, improvisational and wonderfully experimental. A portrayal not to miss.
Alison Janes (Marilyn) has the unenviable task of being compared to the dozens of actresses who have portrayed Monroe. Yet she is mesmerizing, scintillating and nothing less than translucent. Janes gives a deeply moving performance both fearless and flawless. She not only leaves us grateful for what we have seen, but begging for more.
Janes is Monroe, body, heart and soul. Her vulnerability leaves a searing reminder of just why Monroe was who she was.
Furthering the message is the scenic, lighting and projection design of Tefoni Michael Rizzi.
Much has been written, spoken and imagined about the last months of Monroe’s life. Here, Furino and Bloch weave a rich tapestry of tragedy, history ad harmony that dramatizes the poignant and sweeping existence of probably the most famous woman of the 20th century, psychological problems and issues intact.
All in all, “Marilyn.....Madness & Me” is a product of the heart, but also the brain.
It allows us, the audience, to see Monroe’s emotional depth, intelligence and transparency at a time when many considered her strictly a superficial and plastic sex symbol. The journey taken by her dedicated friend, follower and fan who narrates the play, is oft- inspired, and never boring thereby leaving us wondering if the diary he reads from the entire evening is real or not.
So, in the end, is this a work of fact or fiction? Indeed.
Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays at 8pm Saturday and Sunday Matinees at 3pm
Tickets: $34.99/ $25.00 (Seniors)
Reservations/Information: (818) 508-4200 or (866) 811-4111
Where: The Monroe Forum at The El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601
