Pamela Blair which later opened at the Kennedy Center to critical acclaim. She also appeared in "Sugar", the stage musical version of the film "Some Like It Hot", in which she played "Sugar Kane", a role made famous by Marilyn Monroe. In 1974, Blair was invited by Michael Bennett to participate in the workshops from which "A Chorus Line" was developed. The character of "Valerie Clark" was in large part, based on her own life, although the surgical enhancement came from another dancer. "Val was based on Mitzi Hamilton, who actually underwent surgery to enhance her figure, and Pam Blair, whose mixture
Marilyn Monroe critics believed it to be her real personality and that she was not acting in her comedies. This became an obstacle in her later career, when she wanted to change her public image and pursue other kinds of roles, or to be respected as a businesswoman. Academic Sarah Churchwell studied narratives about Monroe and has stated: Lois Banner has written that Monroe often subtly parodied her status as a sex symbol in her films and public appearances, and that "the 'Marilyn Monroe' character she created was a brilliant archetype, who stands between Mae West and Madonna in the tradition of