Musical theatre / Some Like it Marilyn. At Mill Theatre, Fyshwick, until August 24. Reviewed by ARNE SJOSTEDT.

Lexi Sekuless is a theatre technician. And the job of a good technician is achieving that moment where technique crosses the spellbinding nexus between life and art.

This is one of Sekuless’ skills, and in the role of Marilyn Monroe, it was on display throughout this often glamorous production.

Awash with song and dance, in a room full of some of Monroe’s cinema highlights, this vehicle to show off what Sekuless can do, kept the pace rolling, and invited the audience into Monroe’s world. Swimming within Leisa Keen’s flamboyant musical direction, clever choreography by Annette Sharpe allowed enough connection to the style and imagery of the original material to give the presence of the Monroe masterpieces.

Couple this with Sekuless’ in the moment portrayal of the star, together with the creative and versatile performances of her support cast (Helen McFarlane, Mark Lee, Timmy Sekuless), and you have an immersive night.

All this was assisted in a large way by Tania Jobson’s costume design. A feast for the eyes, there was a sense of anticipation around what Monroe would be wearing next. However it wasn’t just the star’s costumes that had you looking at the details. Scene after scene, each cast member was kitted out with carefully chosen costumes that fitted the time and place. The impact was transportive. Together with a semi lo-fi presentation, this served to trigger the imagination, and bring the scenes to life in your mind as much as they were being enacted on stage. It was a useful technique, and made each cast member singularly important to the vignettes being presented.

To wit, Mark Lee displayed an almost chameleon like quality as he moved effortlessly between characters and scenes. He specifically shone in an extract from Arthur Miller’s After The Fall, which then moved into one of the evening’s highlights – a rendition of the song Let’s Make Love, from the film of the same name.

In all, the evening was a playful, fun, and at times delicate film-o-graphic journey, capturing recognisable, and endearing moments in Monroe’s life and times.