Curve presents world premiere of Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller musical MISFITS TOGETHER
Leicester’s Curve theatre has announced MISFITS TOGETHER, a brand-new musical based on the relationship of 20th century icons Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, created by Dan Smith (music and lyrics), Ralph Pelleymounter (music and lyrics) and Charlotte Bogard Macleod (book), presented with Tila Arts.
Running in Curve’s Studio Theatre from 4 September - 2 October 2027, the musical will be directed by Curve’s Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster.
The musical’s score has also been recorded as a studio album of the same name, penned by Smith and Pelleymounter, and is available to pre-order now. The album’s first single, ‘Oh America’, is also out today.
Marilyn. Miller. And the myth of America.
1950’s America. In an industry built on status, politics and power, Hollywood sees Marilyn Monroe as a star they can control. Arthur Miller sees a true artist.
Love brings these two titans of stage and screen together, and they back each other as they struggle for artistic integrity, and fight for political justice.
MISFITS TOGETHER celebrates Marilyn as a trailblazer establishing new rules for the way Hollywood treats their stars, re-writing her own narrative and paving the way for a sexual revolution. MISFITS TOGETHER honours Arthur as he puts his career on the line, refuses to denounce his colleagues and proves himself the moral compass of a nation. But through all these huge events, ultimately they were two people trying to navigate love, work and life’s very human problems.
MISFITS TOGETHER explodes from the glamour of Golden Age of Hollywood with a sweeping new rock musical score.
This is Marilyn and Miller’s story told for today.
It’s a rally cry for truth, integrity and self-belief.
And it’s dedicated to misfits everywhere.
Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “Collaborating with Dan, Ralph and Charlotte on the development of MISFITS TOGETHER has been a massively inspiring experience. Exploring a story which deals with iconic titans Monroe and Miller was always going to be exhilarating, but in the hands of our visionary writers, the collision of these enduring life stories, 1950s Hollywood, reclaiming Marilyn’s incredible story against the backdrop of an increasingly volatile world, has reached dizzying heights, signalling the birth of a truly great musical. We are thrilled to share this audacious new musical with our fantastic Curve audiences, who will be moved and exhilarated in equal measure by this sensational score.”
The production will be the first fully-staged musical from Dan Smith, the Grammy Award-nominated, Brit Award-winning singer, songwriter, composer and record producer, who has co-written the production’s music and lyrics. Dan Smith is best known as the lead singer and creative force of band Bastille. Music and lyrics are co-written by Ralph Pelleymounter, singer, songwriter and frontman of band To Kill a King.
Dan Smith and Ralph Pelleymounter said: “This is a 75-year-old story and yet it still feels so relevant: the polarising politics, the sexism, the threat of career-ending blacklists, all feel like they could be from today's newspapers. We wanted the music to reflect this so we created a collection of songs that we hope feel modern and timeless. This is the first time we have written songs for a musical and we enjoyed the sense of freedom and play that comes with exploring a brand new creative medium. To be able to now say they'll be heard by audiences in a world premiere Made at Curve production still feels unbelievable!
“During this entire process there was this weight of responsibility that comes with telling other people’s stories, especially when, as with Marilyn, the person died so young and so was robbed of the chance to tell their own. We hope we’ve brought an interesting and thoughtful perspective to this poignant, powerful story.”