Marilyn Monroe Exposed, The Musical

Marilyn Monroe Exposed
The Musical
Actors Temple Theatre
August 3, 2026 

Photo courtesy of Marilyn Monroe Exposed, The Musical

Marilyn Monroe Exposed, The Musical gives insight into the accomplishments, contributions, and mystery of this film icon.  The show distinctly explores evidence of her death.  Documented as a suicide, Playwright Cornell Christianson offers evidence that proves otherwise.  Mr. Christianson is quoted as saying that “half the dialogue [in the show] is from interviews, letters, and diaries” uncovering the truth that Marilyn Monroe was murdered.  The musical is structured like a detective mystery, revealing evidence and shining light on numerous suspects, until the final scene when the murderers are finally disclosed. 

The show opens on the morning Sgt. Jack Clemmons (played by William Delargy) receives a phone call that Marilyn Monroe (played by Romy Hansen) was found dead in her bed.  Upon arrival at her home, Sgt. Clemmons meets Marilyn’s doctor (played by Chris Donovan), who already ruled her death a suicide.  Contrary to this, Sgt. Clemmons notices there is no evidence of suicide on the scene.  After meeting Marilyn’s maid (played by Shannon Compton), he discovers that the police were not called for a number of hours after the body was discovered, and the maid destroyed evidence by doing laundry.  Sgt. Clemmons follows every clue and compiles a long list of high-profile suspects, who he interrogates at length. 

Romy Hansen as Marilyn Monroe
Photo courtesy of Marilyn Monroe Exposed, The Musical

Rony Hansen is stunning as Marilyn Monroe.  The eye goes to her in her first entrance, even though she is in an ensemble dance number and donning the brown hair of Norma Jean.  Ms. Hansen is nervous and vulnerable as Norma Jean, then gracefully matures into the screen legend everyone knows.  Ms. Hansen reveals the true Marilyn in her off-screen relationships.  Her manic-depressive behavior and fear of abandonment are visceral.  Ms. Hansen does a beautiful job portraying all sides of this icon, delivering a genuine and touching performance.

Craig M. Cartwright plays Arthur Miller.  The interrogation between Sgt. Clemmons and Arthur Miller takes up a large portion of the show.  Mr. Cartwright is captivating as Arthur Miller.  He is grounded, charming, and direct in telling his stories about Marilyn, which introduces numerous scenes from her career and personal life.  In these scenes we find out about her relationships with her first acting coach (played by Sara Jane Beneke), Joe Dimaggio (played by Michael DeRosa), Lee Strassberg (played by Daniel Rubinson), and JFK (played by Chris Donovan).  The structure of these scenes is skillfully developed and directed, going from interrogation directly into moments depicting Marilyn’s experiences.  When the action returns to the interrogation, information is processed and suspects are added to the list. 

Photo courtesy of Marilyn Monroe Exposed, The Musical

Playwright Cornell Christianson says he has two goals for this production.  First is to celebrate Marilyn Monroe’s greatness.  Second is to vindicate her by removing the stigma of suicide from her legacy.  He succeeds on both objectives.  The script clearly informs of the effects Marilyn had on the movie industry as well as female empowerment and sexuality.  She gained artistic control of her scripts and started her own production company, which adds to the evidence that she was not in the frame of mind to take her own life.  The play also dramatizes recordings from the night she died, which definitively names her murderers.  Director CB Murray builds this final scene with a high level of danger and suspense.  You will have to see the show to find out for yourself.

Marilyn Monroe Exposed, The Musical is playing every Monday night at 7:30 at The Actors Temple Theatre (339 W. 47 St., NYC).  The full cast does an amazing job in this musical that sheds a new light on the life and death of Marilyn Monroe. 

Domenick Danza