An Old-Fashioned Case oentity Theft or . . . Illegally Blonde 

By Paul Turse, Ed.D. Theatre Major, Columbia University-TC

(Copyright © 2009 Paul Turse.  All rights reserved.) 

Note:  The performance discussed below was seen at the Ivoryton Playhouse, Ivoryton, Connecticut, on May 27, 2009.

        According to national statistics, identity theft is the nation’s most rapidly growing crime, occurring in all geographic locations.  The trend today is for the perpetrator to usurp an unsuspecting victim’s identity by pilfering personal information, i.e., credit card numbers, social security IDs, and bank account records, to name a few, and then using that information to gain profit at the expense of the victim.  The expansion of technology in a modern world has aided the crime through the use of such techniques as skimming, hacking, phishing, and pharming, which can be easily effected by unscrupulous thieves.  However, the old-fashioned type of identity theft—impersonation—has been somewhat overlooked ever since the electronic efforts have gained popularity.   While anyone can become a target, today the most blatant case of old-fashioned identity theft is at the expense of a deceased Hollywood icon.  A thief by the name of Sunny Thompson has robbed the identity of Marilyn Monroe, gaining worldwide fame in the process.  And while Sunny has been guilty of stealing the identities of such luminaries as Joan Rivers, Bette Midler, Madonna, and Dolly Parton, the “crime” which will be forever remembered, is the one she has been committing on stage for the last several years and performing all over the world, not only in the USA but in Canada, and even in far-off places like New Zealand, and most recently in London. 

        This theft is known as Marilyn: Forever Blonde, a fascinating Lipstick production, written by Sunny’s husband, Greg Thompson, and directed by Stephanie Shine. Thompson, with his tightly focused script, and Shine, with her dynamic staging, are accomplices to this felonious assault on the emotions of the audience.  Unlike some monodramas, the pace of this play moves along with all the speed of a freight train about to be derailed as Marilyn’s life comes crashing down at the end of this two-hour production.  This is actor-centered theatre at its best.  No elaborate scenery is necessary.  The purely functional set allows Sunny to decorate the stage with her overwhelming performance.  The theatrically dubbed voices of those individuals who shaped and shared her life, the slide projections at the rear of stage, depicting scenes from the times, and the musical interludes by Sinatra all give a convincing illusion that there is a full cast of characters.  This is especially so when Sunny pantomimes interacting with the characters she conjures up in Marilyn’s memory.  Furthermore, the audience members themselves become characters in the play as Sunny relates to her audience, intimately sharing Marilyn’s secrets.  Yet, throughout the play, Sunny never crosses the fourth wall. Marilyn: Forever Blonde is a cleverly conceived biographical sketch of Marilyn’s life, which was filled with love, fame, heartbreak, and frustration.

         The play opens with Marilyn seductively and playfully posing on a bed for a number of photos, with the clicking sounds and flickering flash of the property lights, both of which giving the audience the illusion of a photo-op.  Marilyn then reveals her innermost being with an unseen photographer and then eventually draws the audience into the story of her life as though sharing herself with close friends on the last night of her life, in 1962.  In her portrayal of the legendary blonde, Sunny convincingly steals the voice, singing style, bodily movement and, most effectively, the vulnerability of Marilyn to make her audience believe they are voyeuristically peeping into the life of the sex goddess.

        Forever characteristic of Marilyn was her voice.  As she emerged as the sex goddess of the late ‘50s, Marilyn’s whispering tones alone, her voluptuous figure notwithstanding, were enough to stir strange new feelings in the core spot of adolescent boys and bring gown men crashing to their knees.  Sunny emits the hushed lullaby of that sensuous siren by capturing that tone and sustaining it throughout her performance without succumbing to parody.

        Although Marilyn could sing, it has been reported that Marni Nixon dubbed in some of the high notes in “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” perhaps giving the illusion that Marilyn was a better singer than she really was.  However, Sunny’s opera-trained voice not only captures the essence of the blonde’s style, but also achieves a higher note.  No insult to Marilyn, but the greatest tribute to an icon is for the imitator to outshine the original.  Much of Marilyn’s talent has grown as a result of the legend; thus, Sunny’s skill enhances the legend, bringing the talent of Marilyn to the heights achieved in the memories of her fans, even if never fully attained in life.  When Sunny delivers “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” it is here that the audience experiences the resurrection of Marilyn.  The rendition becomes a theatrical séance, and Sunny is the artistic medium. 

        Marilyn’s characteristic bodily movement, her shoulder shifts, and not so subtle wiggle shaped her destiny, bringing her to a fame that ended too soon.  It is in the scene where Sunny, encased in a form-fitting red dress, not so subtly depicts the famous caboose locomotion.  Although Sunny has that bodacious booty, it’s the subtle use of her entire anatomy that brings Marilyn to life.  From her fingertips to her toe tips, Sunny accentuates the portrait of the “little girl” who just wanted to be wonderful and to be loved.  However, the true revelation of Marilyn is the expressive face of Sunny.  As she speaks, her lips pout and her eyes widen when she delivers such lines as, “I could have any man I wanted, but no man wanted the real me.” 

        Although all of the above elements enhance the reincarnation of Marilyn, the key ingredient is the inner dynamics of Sunny’s acting, as she captures the essence of Marilyn’s personality, as emoted on the screen and in real life.  One of the elements that endeared audiences to Marilyn was her vulnerability, a characteristic that she emoted in life and on the screen.  It is revealing that some of her best performances are those in which she plays the naïve child-like woman seeking love and needing to be whisked away and loved for her true self, such as in her portrayal of Cherie, in the film version of William Inge’s Bus Stop.  It is perhaps no accident that Marilyn could only capture the love that she sought in life on the screen in such roles.  It is also somewhat revealing in all of its Freudian implications that she was attracted to DiMaggio, the man who wielded the biggest bat; JFK, the most powerful man in the world; and Arthur Miller, the most famous American playwright.  In a key scene, Sunny reveals the secret of Marilyn’s penchant for and addiction to older, dominating men when she sings “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.”

        Through Sunny’s portrayal, the audience sees how Marilyn was trying to achieve her long-lost identity through the men in her life and the mirror that Hollywood held up for her.  Although the play is a powerful drama, it is not without its comic moments, especially when Marilyn explains her “one” fault:  always being late.  “Okay, I’m late, but I don’t think I’m always late.  But if I am, maybe it’s because I can’t go as fast as other people.  They want you to get there.  But what’s there when you get there!”  While the audience laughs at Marilyn’s excuse, they are laughing with her, not at her, knowing full well that there is some kind of logic in her illogic.

        Of course, if you want to see the real Marilyn, you have only to check out her films.  However, most audiences will come to the theatre, not to see Marilyn, but to see Sunny's poignant portrayal and to see another quality production.  A rendition of Marilyn is not supposed to be a carbon copy or a cloning; rather, it should be an artistic impression that captures the heart and soul of the character, highlighting (not exaggerating) those characteristics that endeared her fans to her.  And capture—or steal—Sunny does as she sustains a high-level of intensity in this two-hour bravura performance.

       Even if you don’t really care about Marilyn as a movie star, the Marilyn that Sunny conjures up on the stage will make you care—no, feel deeply for this lost and wayward woman-child.  In one of the most symbolic pieces of action, Marilyn sits in front of a mirror as she removes her makeup and the image Hollywood has painted of her and reveals her true self—and perhaps little Norma Jean.  As the false veneer comes off, not only is the true image revealed but a great moment of theatre as well.  It is one thing to exhibit the outward form of Marilyn, but Sunny reveals the inner dynamics of this little girl lost, who wants—despite her fame—to just be wonderful and to be loved.  And love and feel for Marilyn you will from her early years as an orphan right up to her final moments, as Sunny delivers a gut-wrenching tour-de- force performance. 

        As Sunny steals the identity of Marilyn, she steals the hearts of the audience.  While identity thieves greedily profit at the expense of their victims, Sunny could be said to be the Robin Hood of identity thieves.  Although she steals the riches of Marilyn, she gives them back to the poor fans, who forever longing for their idol, are enriched by this profound theatrical experience, in which the identify of Marilyn, forever blonde, is reincarnated--an identity theft that is so outrageous it should be illegal! 

 Note:  Marilyn:  Forever Blonde, starring the beautiful and talented Sunny Thompson, ended its critically acclaimed and successful run on March 7, 2010, at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Jacksonville, Florida.  For more info on this profound theatrical experience or to find out where Sunny will be performing next, visit www.marilynforeverblonde.com.