A one-woman play based on the life and films of Marilyn Monroe is taking to the stage at Swansea Grand Theatre’s Arts Wing this month.

Marilyn is a show written by Gwynne Edwards and performed by Nicola Burgess.

The production dramatises the film star’s attempt to escape from the stereotype of the ‘dumb blonde’ imposed on her by the Hollywood system and evident in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

Her determination to become a serious actress took her to the Actor’s Studio in New York; the attempt required regular psychiatric sessions which were totally unproductive in the light of the insecurity she suffered throughout her life which stemmed largely from the fact that she never knew her father and had been abandoned by her mother at an early age.

Furthermore, her three husbands all opposed her acting career. Jo DiMaggio, the one-time American baseball star, demanded that she give up acting. Her third husband, the playwright Arthur Miller, doubted her talent and various Hollywood film directors betrayed her in different ways, including John Huston, the director of The Misfits, Marilyn’s last completed film.

In the end events conspired to drive her to meaningless affairs and prescription drugs. Abused by the film industry and unscrupulous individuals, her death at the age of thirty six shocked the world, but her fame as a clever, intelligent performer has never been eclipsed.

This will be Gwynne Edwards fourth play to be performed at Swansea Grand Theatre, following on from Dylan Thomas in America, Dylan Thomas: Clown in the Moon, and Burton, based on the life and work of the great Welsh actor.

Tickets for this evening of emotive drama taking place at 7.45pm on Thursday, March 23 of are available from the Box Office on 01792 475715 or can be purchased at swanseagrand.co.uk and are priced from £12.50.