Michelle Collins makes her debut Edinburgh Fringe performance in the one-woman show Motorhome Marilyn. Collins made herself a household name when she played Cindy Beale in the popular BBC soap opera EastEnders, where she endured years married to Ian Beale.

The washed-up Marilyn Monroe impersonator who’s still trying her hardest to find work in the hope of making her big break and becoming famous is finding that time is passing fast and her time is running out and after a run-in with another impersonator she is questioning what the future holds.

Collins looked at home on the stage dressed in the style of Monroe and carrying off the style and charm that Monroe was known for in the iconic white floaty dress.

However, similar to the late actress (whom Monroe would have been called) there’s a darker side to her story, we first catch a glimpse of that when Denise feeds her pet snake it’s dinner.

For a Fringe venue, the set is striking and a befitting shrine to everything that Marilyn Monroe was renowned for. I think I even spied an action figure of John F Kennedy on one of the shelves. There were also books on Monroe and pictures scattered across the Motorhome walls. The style and detail set the scene of who Denise is behind the act, before she sets foot inside the luxurious decorated Motorhome.

For more information and ticket booking details for Motorhome Marilyn please use the links below.

Four Stars.

Location: Doonstairs, Gilded Balloon Patter House, from 30 July to 25 August 2025 (excluding 13 August) at 5:30 pm.

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/motorhome-marilyn

https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:5585/

Inspired by Michelle’s real-life encounter with a woman known as Motorhome Marilyn, the play reveals the toll of living in the shadow of an icon, exploring failure, ageing, and the heartbreaking cost of unattained dreams.