"When it comes to physicality, in my eyes Hilty has the same body as Marilyn, and a much closer face resemblance than McPhee. However, I do see the softness and vulnerability that is present in McPhee."
I have to strongly disagree on the first part. The only Monroe-esque thing about Hilty is her blonde hair, which on Marilyn was dyed anyway. Hilty can do the breathy Marilyn voice that's associated with her and is put on by countless imitators (but even that wasn't Marilyn's real voice), but other than that, she doesn't bear a passing resemblance to MM.
For one, she's too thick and busty. Marilyn is famous for being voluptuous, but she had a tiny waist. Her measurements were: waist = 24", hips = 37", bust = 36". In other words, her figure was an unusually dramatic hour-glass. Hilty has a thick waist, and pretty much thick everything. Her face is also a bit chubby, which can give the illusion that someone's fat, and she has a big chest, which adds more to the package. With McPhee, they can easily fix this by padding her hips and bosom, like they did with Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn." I was thinking this during the last number (when she's standing on the stage in that gold lame dress) that they should pad her hips/bosom and she'd look perfect.
As for the face, McPhee has a classical beauty with symmetrical features, which Marilyn also possessed. Hilty, while attractive, does not. Like I said, her face is a bit chubby, and her eyes are too close-set. When she dons the Marilyn wig and make-up, she looks, as someone elsewhere put it, like "some plump drag queen." I understand this is a theater board and preference is slanted in her direction 'cause she's a seasoned Broadway performer and Tony nominee, but to me McPhee is the perfect Marilyn fit look-wise. In the bedroom/dying scene, the close-up of her face was spot-on. She just needed blue contacts to complete the transformation.
Furthermore, the other night convinced me that McPhee can capture Marilyn's persona AND personality. Whereas Hilty's Marilyn comes off loud and brassy, McPhee truly conveys her innocence and vulnerability.
Salve, Regina, Mater misericordiae
Vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra
Salve, Salve Regina
Ad te clamamus exsules filii Eva
Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes
O clemens O pia
Updated On: 5/16/12 at 07:17 AM