A new play to be staged at Jermyn Street Theatre, tells story of the relationship between showbiz icons Marilyn Monroe and Frank Sinatra. The play which has been exhaustively researched, looks at the five weeks in 1955 where the couple lived together. They remained close right up until her death.
On the night that Marilyn died, she played nothing but Sinatra albums on her record player. It turns out that the last voice she heard meant a great deal to her.
Marilyn & Sinatra stars Erin Gavin (Footballer’s Wives) as Marilyn Monroe and an America’s Got Talent finalist Jeff Bratz as Frank Sinatra.
Raised in Glasgow but now resident in Los Angeles, Erin Gavin is the definitive Marilyn having played the part in numerous productions and projects in the US. Her TV credits include Footballer’s Wives, Taggart and Still Game and she has worked with Michelle Pfeiffer, David Schwimmer and Elijah Wood.
Trained jazz musician Jeff Bratz was a top 12 finalist on America’s Got Talent. His stage roles include the Emcee in Cabaret, Dr Frankenfurter in The Rocky Horror Show, Judas in Godspell, The 39 Steps and West Side Story. He is lead singer in the rock band Radium.
Playwright and director Sandro Monetti said: “Ever since I was a kid growing up in Blackpool, I’ve been fascinated by Americana, especially showbiz icons. Marilyn and Frank Sinatra have always intrigued me but I thought every story about them had been told. Then I discovered that they lived together in Beverly Hills for five disastrous weeks in 1955. It was just after his heartbreaking split from Ava Gardner. He’d lost, to his mind, the most beautiful woman in the world. And then God sent him the sexiest. But their time together was like The Odd Couple. He was a neat freak; she was messy. It was never going to work out. It seems the sex was great but the relationship was a disaster!”
Marilyn and Sinatra runs at Jermyn St Theatre from Monday 15 – Saturday 21 August 2016.
