New play about deaths of JFK, Marilyn Monroe and Lee Harvey Oswald to premiere in London

Janie Dee will star as legendary American investigative journalist Dorothy Kilgallen in the world premiere of Speculations, a new play by Torben Betts, directed by Trevor Nunn.

Presented by Wild Yak and Marylebone Theatre, the political thriller will explore Kilgallen’s investigation into the deaths of Marilyn Monroe, President John F Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald.

Set in New York in 1965, the play follows Kilgallen as she investigates what she believes are connections between the three deaths. Her enquiries take her from Hollywood to the White House and into the worlds of the Kennedy family and organised crime.

The production is directed by Nunn, with design by Lee Newby, lighting by Johanna Town and sound by Gregory Clarke.

Betts said: “I’ve never believed that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in the assassination of JFK, and I’ve always found the circumstances surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death deeply suspicious. But since discovering Dorothy Kilgallen and how her investigation began to uncover possible connections between these seemingly separate deaths, I’ve become convinced that hers is a story that needs to be told, and I’d like to do my small part as a playwright to give a voice back to a courageous woman I believe was silenced.”

Speculations will run at Marylebone Theatre from 30 October 2026 to 3 January 2027, with a press night on 4 November.