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Fifty years after Marilyn Monroe’s death, the screen legend’s influence on theater, television, film and other performing arts will be the subject of a talk at the Portsmouth Public Library on Wednesday, January 18, at 7:30 pm. (Continued below)

John De Vito and Frank Tropea, co-authors of “The Immortal Marilyn: The Depiction of an Icon,” have studied more than 100 examples ranging from documentaries to works that reference the star in more ambiguous ways. Masters of trivia on Monroe, the authors will answer questions from the audience following their talk.

One of the plays studied by the authors, “Body” by David Mauriello, will be presented at the Players’ Ring theatre in Portsmouth from January 27 through February 12. In “Body,” De Vito and Tropea write, “Marilyn's role is analogous to the poor young woman of so many fairy tales who is transformed by some magical, otherworldly means into a beautiful princess or golden goddess.”

John De Vito is a film technician at the Boston Public Library and holds a BA in visual studies from Harvard University. Frank Tropea holds a BA in English Literature and psychology from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and an MA in literature and psychology from Harvard University.

Their January 18 talk, “Marilyn Monroe: An Icon for All Seasons,” is free and open to the public in the Levenson Community Room of the Portsmouth Public Library, 175 Parrott Ave. Doors open at 7:00 pm and the talk is from 7:30 to 8:30 pm.