Speculations
Marylebone Theatre
- Opens: Friday, 30 October 2026 -
Booking until: Sunday, 3 January 2027
Speculations description
Speculations is a new political thriller about a journalist who would not accept the official story behind three of America's most famous deaths.
New York, 1965. Celebrated journalist Dorothy Kilgallen is investigating the deaths of Marilyn Monroe, President John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald. Unconvinced by the official explanations, she follows her leads from Hollywood to the White House and into the New Orleans underworld, uncovering connections between some of the most powerful people in the country. As the threats against her grow, her search for the truth begins to put everything at risk.
The play is a new work receiving its world premiere at the Marylebone Theatre, presented by Wild Yak and the Marylebone Theatre. Kilgallen was a real reporter and television personality, and her own death in 1965 has long been the subject of speculation.
It is written by Torben Betts, whose plays include Invincible, which transferred from the Orange Tree Theatre to the St James Theatre, Muswell Hill and the thriller Murder in the Dark. His play The Unconquered was named Best New Play at the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland. It is directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, former artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, whose Tony and Olivier Award-winning productions include Cats, Les Misérables and The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. Set and costumes are by Lee Newby, lighting by Johanna Town, and sound and music by Gregory Clarke.
Janie Dee plays Dorothy Kilgallen. She has won two Olivier Awards, for Carousel and Comic Potential, and the latter also earned her the Evening Standard and Critics' Circle awards for Best Actress. Her stage work includes Follies at the National Theatre and Hello, Dolly!, and her films include Official Secrets. Further casting is to be announced.
Book now for a new thriller that questions the official version of some of the 20th century's most famous deaths.
