2020’s seemingly neverending pandemic left a lot of free time to revisit and reflect. One of the shows that brought me comfort—and a saucy, endlessly entertaining first-time binge watch—was NBC’s Smash. An immaculate deconstruction of Broadway devoted to intimate character moments and elaborate choreography, Smash may have only lasted two seasons, but it remains a timeless piece of network TV history. Despite an abrupt cancellation after two seasons, Smash has remained in the conversation for well over a decade. Now, it arrives on the Broadway stage, covering a large swath of musical numbers from the television show, and a couple of original numbers for good measure. Taking general inspiration from Smash rather than straight up lifting the exact storyline, the book lampoons Broadway culture while singing and dancing through booming ballads. Keeping Ivy and Karen but not much else, this remixes season one in a satisfying ode to show business in all its frustrations. Doubling down on diva antics and a disastrous behind-the-scenes peek at getting a show put up on The Great White Way, Smash weaves meta perfection while satiating fan bloodlust in the process.
Billed as “the ultimate musical lover’s musical,” Smash greets the audience with its bold title at center stage. Once the show proper kicks off, the title flips itself over to reveal BOMBSHELL, the musical within a musical that the majority of these catchy songs belong to. In the first major departure from the source material, we learn that Ivy (Robyn Hurder) is an established Broadway megastar rather than a promising up-and-comer, with Karen (Caroline Bowman) serving as Ivy’s constant, four-time understudy. The composers are frantically rewriting Bombshell, desperate for a hit. The direction is supposed to be a splashy comedy musical, but Marilyn Monroe’s life story could not be further from comedic. Its inherent heaviness dooms Bombshell from the start—does it want to be a dramatic retelling of Monroe’s tragic tale, or a campy celebration of her undying star power?
Bombshell’s director, Nigel (Brooks Ashmanskas), can’t decide where he wants the writers to go, or how to handle the complexities. He does, however, know what sounds like a hit. Married writers Jerry (John Behlmann) and Tracy (Krysta Rodriguez) are totally different characters than those at the center of NBC’s Smash. There, Tom and Julia were played by Christian Borle and Debra Messing, respectively. Where Tom and Julia were a duo of successful songwriters who already had several hits under their belts, counterparts Jerry and Tracy are the polar opposite. They keep recycling their old material, armed with the knowledge that nobody saw their failed productions anyway. One step away from being replaced by AI, Jerry and Tracy make for a cute couple. On Broadway, the writers get plenty to do; the addition of Rodriguez to the ensemble even serves up a bit of meta, since she played aspiring star Ana in season two of Smash. Jerry and Tracy have yet to discover a perfect opening number for Bombshell to wow everyone involved. Producer Anita (Jacqueline B. Arnold) has investors to impress, accompanied by her scene-stealing assistant, Scott (Nicholas Matos); one could surmise that Anita stands in for the ferocious producer, Eileen, from the original. Being one of the best characters in Smash, I was a little peeved to learn her character had been cut. A full-length season of television, however, is a very different entity than a true Broadway musical. As the assembled group needs to ensure a hit by any means necessary, Bombshell rehearsals spin wildly out of control.
The rivalry between Ivy and Karen was the lifeblood of Smash when it aired on NBC. The Broadway iteration takes an entirely different approach, still baking this friendship into the core, but shifting to a comedy of errors instead. Everything that can go wrong in Bombshell’s production certainly does. Ivy transforms to full method actress, turning to acting guru, Susan (Kristine Nielsen). Once Grim Reaper-esque caricature Susan begins showing up to tech rehearsals, Ivy insists she be referred to only by Marilyn for the duration of the production. To no one’s surprise, Ivy’s methods do not win her many supporters. Susan’s bizarre tactics hinder more than help—at her encouragement, Ivy chugs pills, and descends deeper into Marilyn madness. Karen, meanwhile, takes full advantage of the iffy situation by stepping in wherever Ivy falls short. If she can’t be Marilyn full-time, Karen will be there to pick up the pieces, at the behest of Ivy herself. Not only that, there’s also still that tricky problem of juggling Bombshell’s tonal shifts, and searching for the perfect end product that will make Bombshell soar.
As a lover of the series, how could one not compare the two? I kept imagining Tom and Julia workshopping the songs. Uber-gay Nigel is nothing like Bombshell‘s director in the NBC series, Derek. Many of the fantasy musical sequences in the series offer more spectacle and pizazz than what we see here. Hurder is no Megan Hilty, and once that has been stated, it becomes much easier to just enjoy whatever unfolds before us. Furthermore, the actual storyline bears little in common beyond Karen versus Ivy, and a Broadway show being hatched in the form of Bombshell. The addition of a potential third Marilyn candidate—coming to fruition during a riveting Act I finale version of “Let Me Be Your Star”—certainly showcases the best voice, courtesy of the dazzling Bella Coppola. Her character makes the story feel a little off-kilter, putting less emphasis on Karen, yet firmly cementing Ivy in her leading lady status. The connective tissue still ends up satisfying in major ways—original choreographer Joshua Bergasse returns for the show, as do lyricists/composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Smash always sounds amazing, sampling most of Bombshell‘s major tunes, even though it skips season 2’s Hit List entirely. Puzzlingly, some of the biggest numbers that may have worked wonders on a Broadway stage are absent, such as “Big Finish” and “Never Give All the Heart.” “Let’s Be Bad,” “The National Pastime,” “Don’t Forget Me,” and “The 20th Century Fox Mambo” were thrilling to see realized on a stage. “They Just Keep Moving the Line,” as performed by Caroline Bowman, received roaring applause. A catchy score effortlessly weaves in orchestral versions of fan favorites.
Of course, there is an obvious question: why not just make a full-on Bombshell musical? The answer to this puzzlement gets baked into the core of this fresh, comedy-heavy take. Instead of a show strictly about Marilyn, the creatives made a Broadway show about making a Broadway show about Marilyn, based on the hit NBC show about making a Broadway show about Marilyn. Confused yet? More casual audiences may actually take to this Smash rather than if they had done a stricter adaptation of the series. There are a ton of pop culture and Broadway references, many of which flew over my head. The jokes that hit outweigh those that do not. Judging by my theatre audience, there were jokes for every brand of theatregoer. There are also thrilling musical numbers, shirtless male dancers, super fun character interplay, clever throwaway jokes, and an overall love letter to the theatre community amidst so much uncertainty.
Where the television show was grounded in reality a bit, Smash the Broadway musical is overstuffed with campy comedy and preposterous storylines. There could have been a bit more heart to replace the laughs, but seeing that the book was from the creator of The Producers made it all click into place. Smash lampoons the very same Broadway tropes that the television show longed to emulate itself, culminating in a ridiculously over-the-top burst of meta. Smash the show will always exist, entirely singular in being a time capsule of the period in which it was made. Smash the Broadway musical underlines that anyone can be a star, no matter what they look like. Even when Smash doesn’t entirely look like its television counterpart, the show from beginning to end is a heartfelt, hilarious ode to Broadway. In the words of Ivy herself, Smash‘s fans will probably not want to “burn this theater to the ground.” A genuine treat with gooseflesh-heavy belty musical numbers, Smash lavishly brings a beloved show back to life for a true bombshell celebration of musical theatre.
All roads lead to Smash, now playing performances at Broadway’s Imperial Theater.
