In this world premiere, playwright Franca Miraglia draws on an enduring fascination with Hollywood’s Golden Age, using it as a lens to examine celebrity culture and the social maneuvering that surrounds public figures.
Ironically, the play does not take place in La La Land but in rural Connecticut in 1957.
Inspired by a passage from Arthur Miller’s autobiography Timebends, American Devotion imagines an evening in rural Connecticut in 1957 between newly married Arthur Miller (Holm Bradwell) and Marilyn Monroe (Misha Harding) and their neighbours Norman Mailer (Mark Rittinger) and Adele. As Miller and Monroe settle into the community, a seemingly social visit gradually reveals deeper tensions beneath the surface. This was the era of the McCarthy Hearings, when people would snitch on others.
A fourth presence factors into the evening in ways best left undisclosed; the production is careful not to reveal this element prematurely, allowing the dramatic development to unfold with greater impact.
When Mailer arrives sans unseen spouse (whom he claims was not feeling well), he and Miller begin their conversation. They wait for Monroe to make an appearance and have one drink (as Miller promises his wife) before he asks Mailer to leave.
Miraglia’s programme notes emphasize that American Devotion is a work of fiction, a useful framing device for a play that draws on recognizable public figures while pursuing its own dramatic argument. That the script remains, by the playwright’s account, a work in progress is also evident in the text’s current shape.
The play would benefit from further compression, particularly in several extended monologues, yet its central ideas remain timely. Miraglia’s script engages with celebrity, press intrusion, and the volatility of public image, themes that continue to resonate well beyond the play’s 1950s setting. When the evening’s true stakes begin to emerge, the writing acquires sharpness and dramatic force.
Within the practical constraints of contemporary production, the staging makes efficient and thoughtful use of the available space.
Set designer Petra Bockus uses Crow’s intimate Studio Theatre effectively to suggest both the scale of the Miller-Monroe home and the sense of a household still being settled. The division into two playing areas—stage right for the living room and stage left for Marilyn’s bedroom makeup vanity—helps clarify the action while keeping key props accessible.
Denise Daly’s costumes delineate the characters clearly, while Chris Northey’s pre-show soundscape of rain and unstable light establishes an atmosphere of unease that supports the drama to come. At times, however, the brightest whites in the costumes appear harsh under the lighting design, and several moments of heavy shadow slightly obscure the performers.
Mario D’Alimonte directs with a clear sense of the script’s underlying tensions, shaping the evening as an increasingly fraught encounter between three figures negotiating image, power, and self-preservation.
As Norman Mailer, Mark Rittinger gives a forceful performance that emphasizes the character’s swagger and volatility. His physical presence initially reads as rigidly controlled, but the portrayal gains dimension as the conversation with Miller shifts into more emotionally charged territory. Holm Bradwell brings steadiness to Arthur Miller, with a credible dialect and an interpretation that underscores the character’s protectiveness of his wife. Misha Harding, meanwhile, avoids reducing Marilyn Monroe to stereotype, instead presenting her with greater composure and agency than the role might easily invite. Without divulging too much, the play’s conclusion asks an important question about whether Marilyn does the right thing in how she handles the bombastic Mailer.
Attending the theatre should always spark questions, and I’m pleased that this performance allowed the dialogue, which I found insightful. I do hope there might be some other Q and A’s for the remaining performances.
Hopefully, with further editing, I’d like to revisit American Devotion.
Running time: approximately 90 minutes with no interval/intermission.
The production runs to June 21 in the Studio Theatre at Crow’s Theatre, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto. For tickets: crowstheatre.com
BY THE WORD PRODUCTIONS presents
American Devotion, The World Premiere
Written by Franca Miraglia
Directed by Mario D’Alimonte
Stage Manager: David Lang
Fight Director: Thom Speck
Set and Props: Petra Bockus
Costumes: Denise Daly
Lighting and Sound: Chris Northey
Performers: Holm Bradwell, Misha Harding, Mark Rittinger
