Smash is the show that musical theatre fans have been waiting for.
Executive produced by Steven Speilberg among others, it premiered on Feb. 6. From its pilot episode, it is clear that it is an excellent representation of the kinks of making a Broadway show and is the answer to our thespian-ic prayers.
Many have been excited for this show since the first five-minute preview came out. Based on this, it was expected that the pilot would be the Katherine McPhee show, but instead it rightfully proved to be centered on the relationships between the major people who make a musical happen. Julia Houston (played by Debra Messing) has an adequately successful writing partnership with Tom Levitt (played by Christian Borle) and currently have one original musical on Broadway.
Julia promised her husband Frank (played by Brian d'Arcy James) in their strangely outstanding apartment that she would take a break from writing until they get approved to adopt.
However, Julia becomes fixated on the possibility of a smash. Despite the fact that it had been done in the past and did not last long, Julia is positive that they can write a musical about Marilyn Monroe. In what viewers may take to be a shout-out to Hopkins, Julia asks her son Leo, "When I say ‘Marilyn,' what do you think?" He responds: "Baltimore."
Still, the idea is stuck in her head that people can't get enough of Marilyn. And, as two people point out to her, she can have a Damn-Yankees-esque, Joe-DiMaggio-related baseball number ("'cause a baseball diamond is a girl's best friend").
Frank groans and fights back with, "I hate the theatre," which is in itself ironic because James has been in multiple plays and musicals throughout his career, the most recent being Shrek the Musical.
Julia asks an excellent question in the episode: Why does nobody want to do new musicals anymore?
It is true that a new musical will usually not make it to Broadway unless it is a smash off-Broadway. Then it goes to a small theatre for a limited time, most likely involved with a non-profit theatre company like Vineyard Theatre.
But how do you get people to come to a show they have never heard of? To quote one such musical, [title of show], "Audiences want to see Paris Hilton in the Apple Tree."
Audiences want to see Daniel Radcliffe in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. And Darren Criss. And Nick Jonas.
So how does one put on an original musical on Broadway? Julia and Tom prove there are many bumps along the way.
First off, Tom thinks that he knows the perfect Marilyn. Although she is not famous, Ivy Lynn (played by Megan Hilty) is a fantastic chorus girl who is in their musical that is already on Broadway. Furthermore, she has the experience and background in Broadway that makes her such a strong candidate.
Next, Julia becomes upset because Tom's new assistant leaks a video online of Ivy singing one of the songs from the show in a private recording session.
The video goes viral, and theatre bloggers begin to make snap judgments about the
Marilyn show, which Tom and Julia have not finished writing.
It's a real situation that is, of course, exacerbated by Twitter and Facebook, where any new information about shows can be available to all of the people who care, making the show vulnerable to unwanted criticism.
But then Frank realizes that some big-shot from the New York Post (guessing they read it ironically?) loves Marilyn Monroe and is a huge fan of the writing team.
Now they have to find their director. Eileen Rand (played by Anjelica Huston), the show's producer, is set on hiring Derek Wills (played by Jack Davenport) as director. But Derek and Tom have a history of not getting along with each other.
Tom's choice for the part of Marilyn is still Ivy, but all of them are blown away by Karen Cartwright (played by Katherine McPhee), a sad-looking, struggling Iowan actress who is trying to pursue her dreams in New York.
By pretending to sing Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful" to her handsome boyfriend during the audition, Karen has the confidence to nail her audition song and goes head to head with Ivy.
Whenever either of the two ladies sing, the cameras switch back and forth from reality to the purple glow of the stage where they picture themselves. Derek at first brushes off Tom's idea of using Ivy because she is not an "icon."
Then he sees Karen and begins to think that maybe the story of Marilyn Monroe should feature a new actress's rise to fame. Karen's innocence is a breath of fresh air, just as Marilyn's was, but Ivy is a talented, seasoned Broadway actress. Both girls get call-backs and sing an original song.
The creators of the show stress the similarities between these actresses and their characters, debatable as that may be. McPhee, an American Idol runner-up, is essentially a reality TV star while Hilty just finished her run in 9 to 5: The Musical playing Dolly Parton.
It is impossible to keep from comparing the two actresses — Hilty has a strong, Broadway voice while McPhee has a beautiful but technically weaker voice that is perfect for pop music.
The talent in this cast is beyond impressive. The show's creator, Theresa Rebeck, wrote a wonderful play, Seminar, which is currently on Broadway and stars Alan Rickman (also known as Harry Potter's Severus Snape). All of the aforementioned crew members have been on Broadway or in multiple films and TV shows.
They even speak with perfect enunciation, further emphasizing their experience on the stage. The new songs in this show are also fantastic, which makes it different than Glee, and the premise is strong.
Smash commercializes a small but influential world that exists in the few blocks that make up the Great White Way.
There is definitely enough drama in this cruel business to write fourteen seasons of the show. With this much talent and this class, future episodes of NBC's newest television gambit are sure to please.
