A dance musical chronicling the life of the most iconic Hollywood actress of all time is coming to London's West End.
"Marilyn," based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, has a company of 15 dancers performing to music from her movies and other recordings such as "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", and her performance of "Happy Birthday, Mr. President", as only she sang it for U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
Choreographed and directed by Peter Schaufuss, the dance show follows Monroe's life from childhood to her untimely death from an overdose of barbiturates.
Director Peter Schaufuss, himself an international ballet star in the 1970s and 1980s, is no stranger to creating biographical dance reviews.
He is probably best known to audiences in the UK for his controversial work, "Diana - The Princess", based on the life of the late Princess of Whales, which premiered in Manchester in 2005.
He said Monroe's story practically tells itself.
Peter Schaufuss, director/choreographer, said, "Well, you couldn't write the synopsis better. It's a very, very, very sad story. There you have this woman who is loved by millions - mostly men of course - and yet she couldn't find any happiness and love herself in her own life."
British ballerina and founding member of The Peter Schaufuss Company, which is presenting the show, Zara Deakin plays the title role of Marilyn Monroe.
'Marilyn' will have limited season of eleven performances at the Apollo Theatre beginning June 3.
(CCTV June 4, 2009)
