BCPAC Announces Next Show -- 'Marilyn: Forever Blonde

Bradford Creative & Performing Arts Center (BCPAC) is pleased to present the award-winning, one-woman play “Marilyn: Forever Blonde,” starring actress Sunny Thompson as Marilyn Monroe. The performance will take place at the Bromeley Family Theater on Friday March 11, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. “Marilyn: Forever Blonde” tells the actress’ story in her own words and music.

The play, directed by Stephanie Shine, premiered in 2007 in Hollywood, where Thompson won the prestigious “Lee Hartgrave Fame Award” for Best Acting. “Marilyn: Forever Blonde” has won a dozen major awards, including “Best Special Theatrical Event of the Year” and “One of the Year’s Top Ten Productions.” The play has had rave revues throughout the U.S., Canada, New Zealand and most recently London’s West End.

“This is Marilyn’s story in her own words and music, not studio press agent hype and not the words of hundreds of authors who have attempted to tell her story from their own personal point of view,” said Greg Thompson, writer and producer of the play. “This story line has been painstakingly researched from hundreds of quotes from Marilyn herself and the lavish production is a recreation of what might have been Marilyn’s last chance to tell her story in her own words.”

The play features 17 songs by some of the greatest songwriters in the business, from Irving Berlin to Harold Arlen to Johnny Mercer. All of the play’s songs were performed by Monroe during her film career and are used to explain her story as she recounts a life of dreams and make believe that catapulted her to the stars and ultimately found her crashing down to Earth to remain in our memory forever.

“Marilyn: Forever Blonde” is set in 1962 during what would be Monroe’s last photo shoot. At 36, she is still beautiful, yet has lost the girlish charm that made her Hollywood’s biggest star in her early 20s. Divorced for the third time and living alone, Monroe is tired of the sex symbol label, and longs to be respected for her talent rather than the character she has created on the silver screen. She wonders what it would be like to do it all over again.

Tickets are priced at $45 each and will be available for season subscribers in July, and for the general public August 3rd. Additional information will be forthcoming at the BCPAC office 814-362-2522, or online at www.bcpac.com.

Here's a preview of Thompson playing Marilyn Monroe:

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