New Play Speculations Puts Dorothy Kilgallen at the Centre of Kennedy-Era Deaths
A new political thriller that follows an investigative journalist into three of the most famous deaths of the 1960s is now staged at Marylebone Theatre in London. Speculations, written by Torben Betts, stars Janie Dee as Dorothy Kilgallen, the American reporter who looked into the deaths of John F. Kennedy, Marilyn Monroe and Lee Harvey Oswald.
The play is a world premiere, meaning it is being staged for the first time anywhere. BroadwayWorld reported in late August that the production would open at the Marylebone under the direction of Trevor Nunn. Lee Newby designed the set. The story takes in Hollywood, the Kennedy family and organised crime.
The cast includes Natalie Dunne as Marilyn Monroe, Jolyon Coy as Kennedy and Joseph Potter as Lee Harvey Oswald. Ferdy Roberts plays Carlos Marcello, the New Orleans mafia boss. Gloria Obianyo plays Flo, a fictional babysitter who wants to be a journalist. Flo is the one character in the lead line-up who does not appear in the historical record.
Kilgallen is a real figure. She was a well-known columnist and television panellist in the United States, and she spent years writing about the deaths that the play revisits. Betts builds his story around her attempts to make sense of them, and around the people who gave her reasons to keep digging.
Marylebone Theatre is a mid-sized venue in the north of the West End, and it is one of a number of London houses that stage new work outside the largest commercial theatres. Time Out lists the production as a drama starring Janie Dee. The theatre's own site describes it as a political thriller about Hollywood, the Kennedys and organised crime.
WhatsOnStage published its review of the show on 5 November 2026. Reviews are a matter of opinion, and the critic's view is theirs alone. The production is open to audiences now, and the stage is set for the premiere run to play out in front of the house.
Theatregoers who want to see the show can check the Marylebone Theatre website for performance times and ticket prices.
