Speculations

Speculations opens at the Marylebone Theatre on 30 October, a world-premiere political thriller by Torben Betts, who's best known for Murder in the Dark. It's a strictly limited nine-week run, closing on 3 January 2027, so it's one of those things you'll want to catch before the New Year if you're planning on it.

The play is set in New York in 1965 and centres on Dorothy Kilgallen, the celebrated journalist and television star who spent years chasing the biggest story of her career: the deaths of Marilyn Monroe, President John F. Kennedy, and Lee Harvey Oswald. The title is a bit of a hint as to how it handles the subject, too — it offers questions and possibilities rather than a definitive answer, so it's more about the pursuit than the resolution.

Two-time Olivier Award winner Janie Dee takes the lead as Kilgallen, supported by Jolyon Coy, Natalie Dunne, Gloria Obianyo, Joseph Potter, and Ferdy Roberts. The production is directed by Sir Trevor Nunn, with set design by Lee Newby, lighting by Johanna Town, and sound by Gregory Clarke. It's described as combining the glamour of 1960s America with the darker atmosphere of a political thriller, and it's recommended for ages 12 and over.

Tickets start from £20.75, and the theatre is at Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT. With the run ending on 3 January, you've got a good window to fit it in before the winter break.