Bastille’s Dan Smith to Write New Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller Musical MISFITS TOGETHER

Leicester’s Curve theatre has announced MISFITS TOGETHER, a brand-new musical based on the relationship of 20th century icons Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller, created by Dan Smith (Music and Lyrics), Ralph Pelleymounter (Music and Lyrics) and Charlotte Bogard Macleod (Book), presented with Tila Arts.

Running in Curve’s Studio Theatre 4 September to 2 October 2027, the musical will be directed by Curve’s Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster, whose recent credits include the world premiere production of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (UK and Ireland tour), new musical BANK OF DAVE THE MUSICAL (Curve and Lowry) and acclaimed revivals of KINKY BOOTS (London Coliseum, UK and European tours), LEGALLY BLONDE (UK and Ireland tour) and THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Curve).

The musical’s score has also been recorded as a studio album of the same name, penned by Smith and Pelleymounter, and available to pre-order now. The album’s first single, ‘Oh America’, is also out today.

Marilyn. Miller. And the myth of America. 1950’s America. In an industry built on status, politics and power, Hollywood sees Marilyn Monroe as a star they can control. Arthur Miller sees a true artist. Love brings these two titans of stage and screen together, and they back each other as they struggle for artistic integrity, and fight for political justice.

MISFITS TOGETHER celebrates Marilyn as a trailblazer establishing new rules for the way Hollywood treats their stars, re-writing her own narrative and paving the way for a sexual revolution. MISFITS TOGETHER honours Arthur as he puts his career on the line, refuses to denounce his colleagues and proves himself the moral compass of a nation. But through all these huge events, ultimately they were two people trying to navigate love, work and life’s very human problems.

MISFITS TOGETHER explodes from the glamour of Golden Age of Hollywood with a sweeping new rock musical score.

This is Marilyn and Miller’s story told for today. It’s a rally cry for truth, integrity and self-belief. And it’s dedicated to misfits everywhere.

Curve’s Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said, “Collaborating with Dan, Ralph and Charlotte on the development of MISFITS TOGETHER has been a massively inspiring experience. Exploring a story which deals with iconic titans Monroe and Miller was always going to be exhilarating, but in the hands of our visionary writers, the collision of these enduring life stories, 1950s Hollywood, reclaiming Marilyn’s incredible story against the backdrop of an increasingly volatile world, has reached dizzying heights, signalling the birth of a truly great musical. We are thrilled to share this audacious new musical with our fantastic Curve audiences, who will be moved and exhilarated in equal measure by this sensational score.”

The production will be the first fully-staged musical from Dan Smith, the Grammy Award-nominated, Brit Award-winning singer, songwriter, composer and record producer, who has co-written the production’s music and lyrics. Dan Smith is best known as the lead singer and creative force of band Bastille, who have sold over 11 million records, had three number 1 albums on UK charts and whose songs, including ‘Pompeii’, ‘Happier’ and ‘Good Grief’ have been streamed over seven billion times.

Music and lyrics are co-written by Ralph Pelleymounter, singer, songwriter and frontman of band To Kill a King. Pelleymounter also co-wrote Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’s ballad ‘Perfume’ and won Best Original Score at the IndieX Film Festival for EUGENE VS HUMANITY. Frequent collaborators, Ralph Pelleymounter and Dan Smith co-wrote the title track of Bastille’s number 1 album ‘Give Me The Future’ and their western concept album ‘Annie Oakley Hanging’ has recently been signed into a development deal with Golden Globe-winning film producer Shannon McIntosh (ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, THE HATEFUL EIGHT).

Dan Smith and Ralph Pelleymounter said, “This is a 75-year-old story and yet it still feels so relevant: the polarising politics, the sexism, the threat of career-ending blacklists, all feel like they could be from today’s newspapers. We wanted the music to reflect this so we created a collection of songs that we hope feel modern and timeless. This is the first time we have written songs for a musical and we enjoyed the sense of freedom and play that comes with exploring a brand new creative medium. To be able to now say they’ll be heard by audiences in a world premiere Made at Curve production still feels unbelievable!

“During this entire process there was this weight of responsibility that comes with telling other people’s stories, especially when, as with Marilyn, the person died so young and so was robbed of the chance to tell their own. We hope we’ve brought an interesting and thoughtful perspective to this poignant, powerful story.”

MISFITS TOGETHER is written by BBC Drama Award-nominee and Jerwood Arvon Playwrighting Award-winner Charlotte Bogard Macleod. Founder of The Script Factory, one the Britain’s leading development organisations for filmmakers, Bogard Macleod previously served as an elected Board member of the British Council, Scottish Screen and The Film Committee of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). Her work includes STILL AVOIDING TOMORROW, a unique immersive theatre experience with live music from BASTILLE and THE STORY OF EGLANTYNE JEBB: FOUNDER OF SAVE THE CHILDREN, performed at The Roundhouse Camden in 2019.

Charlotte Bogard Macleod said, “Marilyn’s luminous beauty dazzled, blinding the world to her true intelligence. Arthur Miller was the one person smart enough to see past the dazzle and understand Marilyn’s brilliance as an artist. He supported her in struggles against Hollywood’s misogyny, and she supported his defiance of McCarthyism.

“We wrote Misfits Together to celebrate Marilyn and Arthur’s smart and sexy love story. It was a total joy collaborating with Dan and Ralph, we were invigorated by our research, intoxicated by the writing process. It was an extraordinary privilege to be in the room with Nikolai Foster, who helped us weave scenes and songs together. We hope you will enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed writing it. We’re really, really excited to share it with you. We’re really, really excited to share it with you.”

Produced by multi-instrumentalist Will Bloomfield, the album MISFITS TOGETHER was recorded over the summer of 2025 at Bloomfield’s Dairy Studios in Brixton, with additional sessions in Suffolk and at London’s iconic Abbey Road Studios. The album features guest performances throughout from Bastille collaborator Moira Mack – whose striking Monroe-inspired vocals sit at the emotional core of the record, alongside long-time Bastille live guitarist, Charlie Barnes and the voice of the exciting new artist, Ruti.

MISFITS TOGETHER is a Made at Curve production, presented by Curve and Tila Arts.