REVIEW | Blonde - The Musical, Kristian Thomas Company
Blonde – The Musical
Kristian Thomas Company
★★★★
Marilyn Monroe is known for playing comedic “blonde bombshell” characters and becoming one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s; she served as a symbol of the era’s sexual revolution. However, the new musical BLONDE – The Musical allows us to build a bolder understanding of the American actress thanks to Kristian Thomas Company.
The streamed production, the first from the Derbyshire based company, allows the audiences to unearth and discover who Marilyn Monroe really was beneath the persona. We are taken on what feels like a rapid ride through this journey, spanning the last nine years of the public and private life of Marilyn Monroe, captured through the eyes of young photographer Georgie Gifford (Finlay Paul). Verity Power is given the tough job of being the iconic character that Monroe was foreseen in the media whilst also trying to portray the woman that she really was. Power has gorgeous vocal ability which aligns well with the characteristics of this character. But what was effective in the delivery of this production was introducing Norma Jeane (Anna Bond) and seeing how Monroe’s personality differed and developed once she was influenced by her desire to work in Hollywood.
The 90-minute show definitely moves at a rapid speed and it felt as though the plot was slightly lost within the second half. This meant that the conclusion came far more sudden than expected and it needed more development in order to execute that emotive ending. The musical score fit in well to the storytelling of this musical, but probably took more of a lead than in fact the script itself did. This new musical definitely has the potential to be bigger than beyond this stream and has definitely created further interest into discovering Monroe’s story further. However, the choreography and staging of this production was well constructed to co-inside with covid guidelines and helped to bring the stage and story to life well. The ensemble were excellent in supporting the main cast and creating atmospheric scenes to fit within the era. Considering this was the first streamed performance from this company, they were able to bring an enjoyable night of theatre into your homes!
In what has been an incredibly difficult year for the theatre, even those like the Kristian Thomas Company are able to continue to ensure the show goes on for their devoted and new audiences. It’s definitely a ticket worth buying to support smaller theatre companies who are just as (or in fact more so) passionate about the future of theatre!