Megan To Play Marilyn Role
Television viewers won’t find out for several weeks whether Megan Hilty wins the leading role in a fictional Broadway musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe on the new NBC series “Smash.†But in another, more tangible sense, she has already landed a part made famous by that cinema bombshell, as Lorelei Lee in the coming Encores! production of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes†at New York City Center.
Press representatives for Encores! said on Wednesday that Ms. Hilty would play the diamond-loving showgirl, portrayed by Carol Channing in the original 1949 Broadway production and by Monroe in Howard Hawks‘s 1953 film adaptation. The musical, which features a book by Anita Loos and Joseph Fields, music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Leo Robin, will run at City Center from May 9 through 13, and will be directed by John Rando.
Until then Ms. Hilty, whose Broadway credits include “Wicked†and “9 to 5: The Musical,†will have plenty of time to get into character on “Smash,†which pits her against the “American Idol†alumna Katharine McPhee in a Broadway battle for the role of Monroe. As the now-ubiquitous television ads, banners, billboards and bar coasters have already reminded you, that series makes its debut on Monday night.
I am so sick of Marilyn Monroe. Judy Holliday was a 1950s blonde who was a million times funnier!
Megan Hilty may look more like Marilyn, but on “Smash” I’m rooting for Katharine McPhee.
Marilyn was just a pair of tits without much talent on top of them. I wish she would go away!
I have loved Marilyn my whole life. I wish I lived in New York so I could see Megan in marilyn’s role.
Why all the talk about Marilyn Monroe with regard to “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”? The original star in that show was Carol Channing, still going strong at age 90! I’d rather see her in the Encores revival than Megan Hilty!