Janie Dee Stars as Dorothy Kilgallen in 'Speculations' — A New Political Thriller at Marylebone Theatre
Janie Dee will star as the American journalist Dorothy Kilgallen in Speculations, a new political thriller by Torben Betts, directed by Trevor Nunn. The play premieres at Marylebone Theatre in London, running from 30 October 2026 to 3 January 2027, with a press night on 4 November 2026. WhatsOnStage
The play is set in New York in 1965 and follows Kilgallen's investigation into alleged connections between three of the most famous deaths of the twentieth century: President John F Kennedy, the actress Marilyn Monroe, and Lee Harvey Oswald, the man the Warren Commission named as JFK's assassin. Kilgallen, a syndicated newspaper columnist and television personality, was pursuing her own lines of inquiry into the assassination when she died later that same year. The production is presented by Wild Yak and Marylebone Theatre.
The creative team behind the production brings serious stage pedigree. Lee Newby designs, Johanna Town handles lighting, and Gregory Clarke provides sound. Nunn, one of British theatre's most experienced directors — a former artistic director of both the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre — takes the helm of Betts's script.
Betts, whose previous work includes plays staged at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Orange Tree Theatre, has been open about what drew him to the material. He has said he has never believed Oswald acted alone in the assassination of JFK, and that he finds the circumstances of Marilyn Monroe's death deeply suspicious.
Dee is a familiar face to London audiences, with Olivier Award-winning credits across musicals and straight plays. Casting her as Kilgallen puts a performer known for sharp comic timing into a thriller built around conspiracy and cold-case journalism.
For audiences, the draw is clear: a well-known cast and creative team taking on one of the most picked-over chapters of modern American history, in a venue — Marylebone Theatre, a 200-seat space in central London — small enough to let the tension sit close. The play runs for just over nine weeks. Tickets and further casting details are available through the theatre's website.
