Marilyn and Ella is the true story of two iconic females, forging a bond in 1950s’ America, interspersed with hit songs from the era including Mack the Knife, Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend and My Funny Valentine.

Ms Greer is resident in the UK and is also a trustee of the British Museum. She is an occasional contributor to BBC Two’s Newsnight Review, and was a panel member on BBC One’s Question Time when Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party, was invited on for the first time.

Why did you want to write a play about Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald?

I was working on a book, and I turned the TV on in the background. There was a programme on called Marilyn in Manhattan, about how Marilyn went to New York in 1955 to kick start her career. She was starting her own production company, the first woman in films to do that. Ella Fitzgerald’s face popped up on the screen and it caught my attention.

Tell me about the significance of the Mocambo club?

There was one line about how Marilyn went to Mocambo, the biggest club on the West Coast, and said to the owner if you book Ella Fitzgerald for five nights I will be there every night, which is the equivalent today of Angelina Jolie going to the local club and saying you book Claudia in there I will be front row every night!

Suzie Kennedy and Hope Augustus as Marilyn and Ella

It was revoluntionary. For Marilyn to put herself on the line like that, to put her career on the line, was enormous. Playing Macambo allowed Ella to go to another step. And I just thought what a beautiful story – it made me cry.

Did these two ladies have anything in common?

Yes they were both poor and came from sexually abused childhoods. Ella lost her mother very young and Marilyn’s mother was in and out of mental institutions. Both girls were terribly ambitious but were pigeonholed: Marilyn the dumb blonde and Ella the girl who always made you smile. Nothing deeper than that.

Tell me about the director?

Colin McFarlane is the first black British director, actor and producer to use his own money to be in the West End. It is very important that this is known because the United Kingdom is changing so rapidly, it is leading the way with so many cultures influencing and shaping things.

What is exciting about being in the UK today is we have all sorts of problems but this island is a beautiful template for the way the world is changing and moving. There are formats being created that are impacting all over the world.

What is your favourite number in the show?

It has to be I’ve Got You Under My Skin. Marilyn is really optimistic during the production about getting married to a new man, and starting a production company, and feels she won’t have to be the dumb blonde anymore. Ella sings ‘don’t you know, you fool, you never can win’. That is my favourite moment.

Has the production been in America?

No, I hope it goes to America. People who have seen the show say what they like is that the story is about two women who are not clawing each other to death. It is about a black woman and a white woman, who you wouldn’t think have anything in common and yet have everything in common. It also has great songs and gives you a different picture of Marilyn.

Tell me about your new book Obama Music?

It is a little bit about my life growing up on the south side of Chicago and growing up in the 60s. Obama says even though he was a little boy in the 60s he is very much rooted in the 60s.

In the book I take you all the way back to the great migration of African Americans to Chicago. I look at it through the portal of Jazz , Blues, Gospel and Soul and talk about Obama as the epitomy of all these great music styles.

Tell me about your involvement with the British Museum?

I have been part of the British Museum as a trustee for five years. The museum is becoming a place where distortions about history are being met and challenged. I think the big issue now for the 21st Century is the clarification of history. We are building a new world conservation centre which I urge everyone to help us to build .

I have to ask you about your recent appearance on Question Time, what was it like for you?

There was a lot of pressure two weeks before, I was getting something like 40 calls a day. I thought to myself I am not here to represent anyone but me. If it doesn’t work for you then I am sorry, but I was determined to be the best me.

Within five minutes of Nick Griffin talking, I just thought ‘this guy is like your brother-in-law’s friend from the pub talking at Sunday lunch’. This guy isn’t worth you justifying your existence, he doesn’t care about you he only cares about himself and just seemed so chuffed to be on Question Time.

Bonnie Greer was talking to BBC News reporter Claudia Redmond.

Marilyn & Ella playing at the Apollo Theatre on 15, 22 and 29 November.

I’ve known Tara for quite some time, mainly we communicate through the Everlasting-Star Boards. I’ve always admired her for her knowlegde about Marilyn’s background so I was not surprised by the accuracy of The Mmm Girl, which gives a very personal perspective on Marilyn’s life.

As I was reading the book, several questions came to mind and to get answers, I contacted Tara. I had luck, because she was very willing to answer my burning questions.

Marloes: What made you decide to write this book?
Tara Hanks: I’ve been a fan of Marilyn since I was a young girl, and for a while I also wanted to be an actress. It was in my twenties, when I returned to my first love of writing, that I decided to write about Marilyn.
‘The Mmm Girl’ is not the first novel about Marilyn. Joyce Carole Oates’ Blonde was also based on her life, but it was written in the third person. Norman Mailer’s Of Women And Their Elegance was a fictional diary that imitated Marilyn’s persona.
But when I read those books, I realised that my vision was not like theirs. Oates and Mailer both seemed to perceive Marilyn as the ultimate sex goddess, an almost mythical heroine – whereas I wanted to find the humanity beneath that facade. So it was very important to me that my novel should be grounded in reality.

M: When did you start writing ‘The Mmm Girl’ and how long did it take you to write it?
TH: I started researching The Mmm Girl in 2002, when I had a baby to care for and another on the way. After nine months of research, I started writing. At first the process was quite slow. When I was halfway through my first draft, I submitted a chapter to the UKA Press Opening Pages Competition. Finally I won, and after finishing the manuscript and working closely with an editor, ‘The Mmm Girl’ was published in late 2007.

M: What kind of research did you do?
TH: I read all the major biograpies and memoirs, as well as books covering background topics like the times she lived in, locations, the studio system, her friends, spiritual and intellectual influences, and the health issues that affected her.
Picture books were very helpful. In some ways, pictures of Marilyn are the closest we’ll ever get to her real self. She lived through the camera, and enjoyed freedom as a model that she rarely had in the stereotyped roles Hollywood gave her.
At the same time, it’s a mistake to take these images too literally. Marilyn had a very keen sense of how she wanted to be seen by the public. But of course she was only human and in private, she could drop her mask.
Also, I watched her movies many times. The making of some films are recreated in my novel, so I watched certain scenes over and over, jotting down the dialogue and studying the subtle details of her performances, and her interplay with other actors.

M: What made you decide to write it from Marilyn’s perspective? I can imagine it’s easier to write from a more objective point of view.
TH: At first I didn’t have a clear idea of what form my novel would take. I thought about writing it from several different points of view, like her mother Gladys or Joe DiMaggio’s. But as I learned more about Marilyn, I realised that what I thought I knew was ridden with contradictions. She could have been a victim, or a survivor; a sinner, or a saint; a genius, or a fool. It all depended on which documentary you saw, or whose opinion you heard.
The trouble is, Marilyn has been gone for so long that we now rely on the memories of others to get closer to who she really was. Apart from existing interviews and her own, brief attempts at autobiography, there is no definitive account of her life from Marilyn herself.
Like many fans, my fascination with her went beyond her image, her movies or even her life story. I identified with her emotionally, and was inspired by her struggle to rise above her hardships and insecurities and become a better person. So in the end it seemed natural to write the whole story directly in her voice.

M: I can imagine it was difficult to write from Marilyn’s personal perspective. Did you do any special things to get a closer feel to her?
TH: Sometimes I listened to Marilyn’s voice, from interviews or in songs from her movies, or artists she admired, like Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. When writing about her early years, I listened to music that was popular then, such as Glenn Miller’s ‘Moonlight Serenade’ which evoked the atmosphere of the 1940s, big bands and wartime. Towards the end of the book I listened to groups from the early sixties, like the Everly Brothers.
When I discovered the internet and joined fan forums like Everlasting Star, things started to change. Writing can be lonely but I was able to meet many people who loved Marilyn too, and had a wealth of ideas to share. I was able to gain further insights into her life through looking at rare photographs and vintage magazine articles. In this way I learned details about various events in her life that I couldn’t find in books, like where a restaurant was located or what she was wearing on a particular day.

M: It’s one of my dreams to make or see a true and honest movie about Marilyn’s life. Have you’ve been thinking about a movie about Marilyn?
TH: There are several films and TV shows that have tackled Marilyn’s life story, but none of them really impressed me. A lot of them seem to be more about the myth of Marilyn than the reality. Marilyn is a difficult character to play, partly because she is already so well-known through her own movies. Maybe that is why some of the portrayals of Marilyn appear to be little more than impersonations.
Too much emphasis is placed on mirroring her image, and traits such as her breathy voice have often been exaggerated. It might be wiser to find an actress who has the intelligence and sensitivity to bring a fresh perspective to Marilyn’s complex personality.

M: I read in another interview you had difficulties writing about Marilyn’s later years, when she got more famous. Can you tell me more about why that was?
TH: Each stage of Marilyn’s life posed different challenges. I found it hard to start calling her ‘Marilyn’ when her name was Norma Jeane, so I can only imagine how strange it must have felt for her. Although her starlet years were a struggle, I felt she was at her most carefree then. Anything was possible.
Fame was more than a desire for Marilyn, it was a substitute for the love she missed out on during her childhood. But I don’t believe she thought of herself as a sex symbol, it was just another role she had to play. Unlike some other stars she wasn’t content just to revel in her fame, she wanted to prove herself as an actress worthy of respect.
In later years her life became increasingly complicated. She had no privacy, yet she had few close relationships. Her marriages broke down, she was unable to have children. This led to her becoming depressed, and addicted to alcohol and pills. I wanted to give her a happy ending but was unable to, so I had to follow my own instincts as far as I could.

M: What’s in your opinion the reason that Marilyn Monroe is still so very loved and why are people still talking about her on a daily basis?
TH: I’m sure if Marilyn knew how famous she still is today, she would be stunned. She was one of the greatest stars of all time, unique like Charlie Chaplin or Elvis Presley. She died at the peak of her beauty, and has become a symbol of glamour and sexuality. She left behind some great movies and was a brilliant comedienne. For many of us, she also represents lost innocence and nostalgia. The constant speculation surrounding the Kennedys and her death ensures she will remain a controversial figure in American history.
But there have been many other actresses, dazzling beauties, and scandals. Few of them have kept us intrigued and enchanted for so long. For me, what makes Marilyn different from the others is her sheer humanity. There was nothing smug or self-satisfied about her, in fact she was plagued with self-doubt. She never forgot what it was like to be that little waif, Norma Jeane, escaping her daily worries in front of the silver screen. Marilyn may have looked like a goddess, but she saw herself as one of the people.

M: What are your fondest memories about Marilyn?
TH: I can remember feeling drawn to Marilyn the first time I saw her in a film, I think it was either ‘Bus Stop’ or ‘Some Like It Hot’. Then finding a photo of her in the famous gold dress.
One day I asked my mother what Marilyn was like. In 1962, my mother was twenty years old and on a flight home after her first trip abroad. The pilot made an announcement, saying simply, ‘Marilyn est morte’.
In my early teens, my father bought me a copy of WJ Weatherby’s book, Conversations With Marilyn. Weatherby was an English journalist who knew Marilyn during the last two years of her life. They met up in a New York bar occasionally and talked about life, Hollywood, politics. This first glimpse into Marilyn’s private world is what turned me into a lifelong fan.
I didn’t have television when I was growing up, so my friends would tape Marilyn’s films for me. At weekends I would go to Covent Garden market in London to buy postcards. After I left home, I stopped collecting for a while. But I continued to draw strength from Marilyn as I made a new life, got married and had children.

M: Do you identify yourself on any kind of level with Marilyn? Do you and her have things in common?
TH: I think so, yes. We’re both emotional, creative, and quietly determined. Marilyn seems like someone I’d feel comfortable with, because she didn’t talk down to people and tried to make them feel at ease. In some ways I feel that my life is more fortunate than hers was, because I have the support of a loving family – something she never did, or at least not for long. I’ll be 36 this month, the same age as Marilyn when she died. That’s an odd feeling, but it helps me to appreciate my own life and the people I care about even more.

M: Are you considering writing more books on Marilyn?
TH: The novel I’m working on now is completely unrelated to Marilyn – it’s based on the Lancashire witch trials of 1612. The Mmm Girl was such a demanding project that I needed to try something different, although I still write articles for the Immortal Marilyn website – on other films Marilyn considered, and the people who influenced her. Although the novel is finished, I have thought about writing about her again one day. I’d like to adapt Weatherby’s book, Conversations With Marilyn, either as a stage play or for radio. And I’d also like to write a story or about Marilyn’s mother, Gladys.

Order The Mmm Girl by Tara Hanks today!

]]> http://marilynfan.org/interview-tara-hanks-author-of-the-mmm-girl/feed 1