Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

Everyone wants to be heard.  Even if you say you don't have an opinion on something, deep down you want to be listened to and have your thoughts valued.  This natural need is many times ignored by yourself and those around you.  While many end up in this position by who they choose to surround themselves with, many are simply ignored because they have a stereotype placed on them.

Marilyn Monroe is just one example of a stereotype that was ignored simply because she was a beautiful blonde model/actress.  People took it upon themselves to assume she had no brains.  While this was said about her, behind her back as well as to her face, deep down I believe she knew she was more than people gave her credit for.  However, after being torn apart and put down for so long, she started to believe the lies that were said about her.

This has happened to countless people throughout the world, myself included.  It is not always the same lie, but it makes us feel the same way. . .not good enough.  Not good enough for anyone, not even ourselves.  These lies come from every direction: friends, family, acquaintances, TV, internet, magazines, advertisements, YOURSELF, etc.   We are constantly taking in lies about ourselves and making up lies about others, even if we don't realize it while it is happening.  It has become a constant in society to always be changing ourselves and how people view us, you are never good enough just being who you are.

The problems Marilyn ran into in her short life, are the same ones that are still majorly effecting so many in our society today.  She lived a life were she was constantly having to please people in order to keep going.  One thing that Marilyn was never able to do before she left this world, was let everyone truly hear her voice.  After her death I believe many saw how truly sad of a life she lived, but it was too late to help her.  The thought of defining someone through societies eyes, is something we should all be aware of.  Many will end up living their lives stifling their voices, thoughts, opinions, and who they really are because of these pressures.  Don't let stereotypes define people, don't judge a book by its cover.  The lies will always be there, but we have to choose to see them as such and ignore them!

Backstage Pass

Today had a stressful start. . .I am the stage manager for a new children's theater company in the Portland area (CYT) and we are in the midst of our first opening weekend!  The first thing I woke up to today was "we don't have the mics anymore".  This began a huge run around trying to find mics for the leads and making sure we can have them by 1pm.  The kids have worked so hard for the last 8 weeks in order to open, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown, last night.  They had a wonderful performance and are determine to do it again today, with or without the mics they need.

I decided this week to take a break from following Marilyn's story and talk a little bit about my live theater experience.  I myself have only been involved in one theater production, Footloose, a couple years ago.  While I didn't exactly know what I was getting myself into when I agreed to be stage manager, I have been pleasantly surprised.  The excitement you have right before the show starts, and the nerves that are running through all the performers is such a fun, exciting, experience.

Last night as we were about to start our opening show, I just looked around at all of the kids I have seen working so hard to get to the spots they are at.  The leads have grown so much in their characters from the very first rehearsal to opening night.  It was so cool to see the way the cast performed the best they ever had with a full, live, audience.

This week I was able to explore the spotlight in an aspect I hadn't thought about before, from backstage.  From my table were I call, lights, places, show time!  When I watch the kids step out into the spotlight I can see them transform into their characters and become a whole new person while they are acting.  Being backstage you get to see all the ins and outs of a performance, it's exciting and stressful, but most of all it gives you an appreciation for the theater that will never go away!

The Last Rose

Dean Martin, Fred Karger, Howard Hughes, Johhny Hyde, John Carroll, Johnny Roselli, Jorge Guinle, Joseph M. Schenck, Mickey Rooney, Oleg Cassini, Pat DiCicco, Robert Mitchum, Sammy Davis, Jr., Tony Curtis, James Dougherty (married) 1942 - 1946, Orson Welles, Albert Einstein, Milton Berle, Howard Keel, George Sanders, Elia Kazan, Joe DiMaggio (married) 1954, Mel Torme, Marlon Brando, Elvis Presley, Arthur Miller (married) 1956 - 1961, Yul Brynner, Yves Montand, Frank Sinatra, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy. . . 

These are the names of the 31 flames in Marilyn's life.  She went through men constantly, always trying to find the one thing she craved. . . love, comfort, safety!  The problem was that she was not able to figure out how to have all these things.  While Marilyn was always trying to appear happy to everyone around her, she was still always searching for something to fill the void created in her life caused by her childhood.  

While Marilyn continued her search for love after she divorced her second husband, Joe DiMaggio, she was still not able to find it.  Joe was really the only person who had continued to be a constant in her life.  He was there for her when she was put into a mental institution and he claimed her as his wife to get her out.  Before her death they had made plans to remarry on August 8, 1962, which ended up becoming her funeral date.  

A broken hearted Joe made funeral arrangements for the love of his life, making sure everything was perfect.  Joe went through everything in the house where she died and came upon this unfinished note:

"Dear Joe,

If I can only succeed in making you happy, I will have succeeded in the biggest and most difficult thing there is – that is, to make one person completely happy. Your happiness means my happiness, and..."

Joe lived 47 more years without Marilyn and preceded to fulfill his promise to her, to leave roses on her grave every week.  While Marilyn never got the fairytale ending she deserved, she left behind a romantic tragedy that people still find fascinating today.  

Marilyn Monroe was a once-in-a-lifetime masterpiece, the last and only rose of her kind.