If You Could Host an “Evening With…” Anyone in History?

This week's conversation in the Trinder & Trinder office was sparked by an extraordinary milestone: 100 years since the birth of Marilyn Monroe.

A century on from her arrival in the world, Marilyn remains one of the most recognisable and fascinating figures in popular culture. It got us talking about how some people continue to captivate us long after they're gone.

And because we spend a lot of our time thinking about live events, the conversation quickly evolved into a slightly different version of a classic dinner-party question.

Instead of:

"If you could invite anyone, living or dead, to dinner, who would it be?"

we found ourselves asking:

"If you could host an Evening With anyone in history, who would you choose?"

After all, some people have lived lives so extraordinary that one evening of stories probably wouldn't be enough.

The Obvious Starting Point: Marilyn Monroe

The question only arose because of Marilyn's 100th birthday, and she immediately became our first choice.

WE LOVE MARILYN... and were lucky enough to hold some of her items at the Marilyn exhibition at the Arches London last year.

Beyond the glamour, the films and the iconic photographs was a woman who continues to intrigue generations. Was she the vulnerable star the media portrayed? The shrewd businesswoman who fought for creative control? The intelligent and ambitious woman hidden behind the public persona?

An Evening With Marilyn Monroe would surely be one of the most fascinating tickets in town.

Who Else Made the List?

Once we'd opened the door to guests from the past, the suggestions came thick and fast.

Agatha Christie would undoubtedly have a room hanging on every word. We'd also spend the entire evening wondering whether she was quietly analysing us for a future murder mystery.

Robin Williams would probably leave us laughing until our sides hurt while also delivering moments of profound wisdom.

Martin Luther King Jr made our list too. Imagine being able to hear first-hand about the events that changed the course of history, the inspiration behind the "I Have a Dream" speech, and the resilience required to keep fighting for equality when the odds seemed impossible. We suspect it would be one of those rare evenings where every single person leaves the room seeing the world a little differently.

David Bowie feels like someone whose life contained enough reinventions, creativity and stories for an entire series rather than a single evening.

What makes an "Evening With" special isn't really celebrity.

It's the stories.

The moments that happened behind closed doors. The decisions that changed lives. The things that never made the newspapers. The lessons learned through success, failure, heartbreak and triumph.

It's about getting beyond the headline and meeting the person behind it.

That's one of the reasons we're so excited to be bringing Sam McAlister to Nottingham this October. Sam has been at the centre of some of the most talked-about interviews and negotiations of recent times, and the stories behind those moments are often every bit as fascinating as the headlines themselves.

Your Turn...

So, inspired by Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday, we'd love to know:

If you could host an Evening With anyone, living or dead, who would it be?

A Hollywood icon? A writer? A politician? A musician? A sporting legend?

Let us know your choice. We can't promise we'll be able to book them all, but it's always fun to dream.

And if your answer is Marilyn Monroe, we completely understand. Some stars really do shine for a hundred years.