You know, I do not think Katharine was a bad Marilyn at all! In fact, I loved what we saw her do. She brought a lot of Norma Jeane to the role, and she was also a very nuanced Marilyn. Her Marilyn was very hesitant and calculated. That's why Public Relations worked so well in Katharine's hands. I feel like she instinctively knew how her life was going to end, and she was desperately working to try and stop it from crashing and burning. In the back of her mind, though, she knew she wouldn't end up happy. And that's an interesting take, and I loved it.
But compared to Megan, who is Marilyn? Anyone would fall flat. Because Megan Hilty is, quite frankly, a symbol of everything that was good about Marilyn. Every lip quiver, every vocal trill, every step she takes is infused with the Marilyn Magic that was so often talked about. It's insane to think that they would have the two up against each other, just because in the real world, Megan Hilty would attend one audition and walk out with the role. It was silly to watch it drag on between the two when we always knew it was Ivy.
And since we're talking about this, I've recently begun to imagine what it would be like if Bombshell came to Broadway without Hilty or McPhee, and who would be a worthy replacement as Marilyn. And I cannot stop thinking about what Emily Padgett would do with the role. I would love to hear her sing from the score. I feel like she would knock some of the more character-driven numbers like The 20th Century Fox Mambo, Public Relations, Dig Deep, and Let's Be Bad out of the park. And just imagining her Hang the Moon after obsessively listening to the very similar Shaiman Wittman song, If Your Father Were Here.
Obviously, I'd want Hilty to originate the role. But if this does end up happening, and she isn't available, my vote goes to Emily Padgett.
They/them.
"Get up the nerve to be all you deserve to be."
