By Benson Daniel
The turbulent marriage between Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe and celebrated playwright Arthur Miller is set to receive a new theatrical treatment in a stage musical that promises a more intimate look at the couple behind the headlines.
Titled Misfits Together, the new production will premiere at Leicester’s Curve in autumn 2027, bringing together Monroe and Miller’s personal relationship with the political tensions of 1950s America.
The musical takes its name from The Misfits, the 1961 film written by Miller for Monroe and released shortly after their divorce. Their marriage, which began in 1956, was one of the most closely watched celebrity relationships of its era, bringing together two figures from very different worlds.
Monroe was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, while Miller was an acclaimed playwright whose work included Death of a Salesman and The Crucible. Their relationship was famously described at the time as the union of the “hourglass” and the “egghead”, reflecting the contrasting public images of the actress and writer.
The new musical seeks to move beyond that simplistic portrayal.
Its creators say the production will present both Monroe and Miller as trailblazers while examining the pressures they faced individually and as a couple. Monroe, in particular, will be portrayed as more than the glamorous Hollywood figure who dominated the public imagination.
The story will explore her determination to establish herself as a serious actress, her support for Miller during his political difficulties and the sexism she encountered in the entertainment industry.
Miller’s confrontation with the political climate of the period will also form a central part of the story. During the 1950s Red Scare, he refused to identify alleged communists before the House Un American Activities Committee, a decision that came at considerable personal cost.
The musical will draw parallels between the atmosphere of fear and political division during that period and tensions in contemporary society.
Music for the production has been written by Dan Smith of Bastille and Ralph Pelleymounter of To Kill a King. The pair have created more than 30 songs for the project, drawing inspiration from historical photographs, letters and the lives of the two central characters.
Charlotte Bogard Macleod has written the book, while Nikolai Foster, artistic director of Curve, will direct the production.
The creative team has also incorporated other major figures from Monroe’s life and career. Laurence Olivier, who appeared alongside Monroe in The Prince and the Showgirl, will feature in the story as the musical examines the pressures surrounding her professional life.
The production is being developed at a time of renewed public interest in Monroe. The centenary of her birth has prompted exhibitions, film screenings and other projects examining the actress’s career and private life.
Fresh material about her relationship with Miller has also emerged. Newly released recordings of Miller discussing their marriage have offered further insight into the difficulties that eventually contributed to its collapse.
Monroe and Miller divorced in January 1961 after a relationship that had increasingly deteriorated. Their final major professional connection was The Misfits, filmed in 1960, a project that exposed many of the tensions within their marriage.
Misfits Together is scheduled to run at Curve’s Studio theatre from September 4 to October 2, 2027.
Rather than presenting the couple simply as a glamorous Hollywood romance, the musical aims to examine the ambitions, pressures and political circumstances that shaped their relationship and their individual legacies.
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