Tonight:
9°c
Latest: today admits murdering his fiancee — also a constable — then staging a fake car crash days before they were due to marry in St Lucia
More...
An awesome and ridiculous film that leaves you thrilled beyond the point of your natural endurance
2012
Theatre
The show has suddenly become quite wonderful, and the galvanising factor is the terrific stage debut of Melanie C
Blood Brothers
Music
The British pop music industry may be eating itself but if Muse are the pick of what it can offer the world in 2010 then British music is in rude health indeed
Muse
I was smitten by both Gilberts enormous luxuriant moustache and the intelligence and nuance of this highly entertaining play
I totally recommend Babbo to anyone who is looking for really good and traditional Italian food
Always been a fan but never seen them live. I was ecstatic to be part of this epic event. WOW!
London,
Fiona Mountford's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Colin McFarlane, Warren Wills (musical director).
Cast: Nicola Hughes, Wendy Morgan
Description: Musical drama set in the mid-1950s, charting the true story of the friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe. Ella cannot get into a whites-only club for a residency; Marilyn hears of her predicament, and strives to reverse the decision. Written by Bonnie Greer.
Trains: Tube: Stratford 
, Tube / Bus: 86, 104, 108, 158, 238, 241, 257, 262, 473 
Phone: 0208534 0310
Website: www.stratfordeast.com
Email: theatreroyal@stratfordeast.com
Extra info: Pub, Food, Air Conditioning
Sex appeal and segregation: Wendy Morgan as Marilyn Monroe and Nicola Hughes as Ella Fitzgerald, two icons not taken as seriously as they would like
Yes, that's right, we're talking Monroe and Fitzgerald. Bonnie Greer's guaranteed crowd-pleaser of a two-hander takes as its theme the true story of the unlikely friendship between these legendary 20th century women and uses it as an excuse to shoehorn in the potted greatest hits of both.
All that's missing is a birthday serenade to a president, which is excusable given that the year is only 1955.
This isn't the most insightful thing that's ever been written about either the actress/icon or the singer, and there are certainly times when it would behove Greer to dig deeper into her subject material rather than scratch around on the surface.
Nonetheless, her central thesis is a strong one: Marilyn and Ella, although hugely successful, are both feeling frustrated at this point in their careers, not least because other people's constructs of them are in great danger of overwhelming the reality.
In an impressionistic first half, the pair are kept firmly apart, with Ella on a raised platform behind a gauze screen and Marilyn writhing all over a white chaise longue at stage level.
Through alternating monologues, we learn what is stopping them from being taken as seriously as they would like: segregation and sex appeal.
Ella is held back by the 'whites-only' policy that prevails at prestigious nightclubs such as the Mocambo in Hollywood; Marilyn wants to be considered for the sort of film that doesn't employ wind machines near her skirt.
It's a relief for everyone when Marilyn wangles Ella a gig at the Mocambo, as it means the second half of Colin McFarlane's nippy production offers both dialogue and a chance for the honey-voiced Nicola Hughes to let rip on those Fitzgerald standards.
Not that we've been short-changed on sassy one-liners up to this point: "Lassie the dog makes more than me, and I talk," notes Marilyn wryly.
Wendy Morgan seems too old for a 29-year-old Monroe, although she captures those famous breathy tones beautifully and wears a variety of tight white garments to perfection.
Amusingly, when at last confronted with her heroine Ella, her voice and bearing regress until she is nothing more than a starstruck little girl. Ella must have it good, she thinks. Marilyn must have it perfect, thinks Ella. Greer has given us a decent idea of why this is very far from the truth.
• Until 15 March. Information: 020 8534 0310, www.stratfordeast.com.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
[ 1 ] [ 2 ]
