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Atkinson is Monroe in New Play Making Marilyn, Nov. 23-Dec. 8

By: Nov. 01, 2005
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The Bridge Theatre Company will present the NYC premiere of Making Marilyn, a new play by Canadian playwright Ken Cameron about a lonely teenager who falls in love with Marilyn Monroe when she comes to his small town to shoot the film The River of No Return.  The show runs from November 23rd-December 8th with an opening scheduled for November 30th at Theatre 54 (244 West 54th St., between 8th and Broadway, 12th Floor).

Ashlie Atkinson, a 2005 Theatre World Award winner for her turn in Neil Labute's Fat Pig, plays Monroe in the production, which is directed by Robin A. Paterson.  The show "opens just after Marilyn Monroe's death in 1962. A young Canadian man, Scout, has been caught speeding down a deserted stretch of Los Angeles highway. As the suspicious policeman begins to ask probing questions, Scout flashes back to 1953 and his home in the remote town of Banff. A lonely teenager, Scout is ecstatic when he learns that the famous Marilyn Monroe will be coming to shoot her new movie The River Of No Return. An accidental meeting with the star herself leads to a friendship blossoming between the two. But the friendship soon turns into a mutual sexual attraction, and the teenage Scout begins to develop strong feelings for the much older Marilyn--feelings which ultimately lead to heartbreak and tragedy."

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Atkinson received a 2005 Theatre World Award for her performance as Helen in Neil LaBute's Fat Pig, a role which also brought her Lortel and Outer Critics' Circle nominations. A 2003 graduate of the Neighborhood Playhouse, she has since appeared on "Law & Order," played Theresa, the love interest of Mike the Probie, on TV's "Rescue Me," and just finished making her big-budget film debut as Berk in Spike Lee's Inside Man (to be released in March). Other film work includes Quid Pro Quo, The Untitled Maria Maggenti Project, and the comedy Another Gay Movie which is currently entered in Sundance.

Patrick Costello, Robin Mervin, Reyna De Courcy and Devin Scott are also featured in the cast of Making Marilyn, which originally premiered at Canada's Alberta Theatre Projects' 2004 Enbridge playRites Festival and received a second production by Edmonton's Workshop West Theatre in April 2005. The play was featured in The National Arts Centre's On The Verge reading series, received an Honorable Mention in the Herman Voaden National Playwriting Competition and was nominated for the Gwen Pharis Ringwood Award for playwriting.  The show will feature original music by Michael Picton.

The Bridge Theatre Company "is dedicated to exploring the similarities and differences between Canadian and American cultures and to developing a theatre that fuses the respective strengths of both countries' theatrical traditions to create fresh new work for the New York stage. Previous productions include revivals of Christopher Kyle's Plunge and Daniel MacIvor's Never Swim Alone and This Is A Play, according to press notes.

The show runs Wednesdays through Sundays at 8, with no performance on Thanksgiving Day and a special added performance on Tuesday, December 6th.  Tickets are $15 ($30 for the November 23rd performance, which includes a reception) and are available by calling Smarttix at (212) 868-4444 or via the web at www.smarttix.com. For more information, please log onto the company's website at www.TheBridgeTheatreCompany.com.


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