Marilyn Musical to Hit West End

A dance musical celebrating the life of iconic actress Marilyn Monroe is heading to London's West End. Marilyn will premiere at the Apollo theatre in June, and stars ballerina Zara Deakin in the title role.

The work, choreographed by Olivier Award-winner Peter Schaufuss, "charts the eventful and rocky life of the world's most famous blonde bombshell". Deakin previously starred in Schaufuss' controversial work based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 2005. In Marilyn, the former English National Ballet dancer will perform to songs like Happy Birthday, Mr President and My Heart Belongs to Daddy, from Monroe's 1960 film Let's Make Love. Deakin will be joined on stage by 14 other dancers for the limited 11-night run.

Schaufuss, a former director of the London Festival Ballet (now the English National Ballet), set up his own company, the Peter Schaufuss Ballet, in 1997. Since then he has created several productions including Satisfaction, based around the music of the Rolling Stones, which was staged in London's West End in 2007. His most recent work for the London stage was 2008's Divas, a show inspired by the lives of Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich and Judy Garland.