Profile for merle57

The show lacks cohesion, truncated musical numbers, scattered parts,  bitchy comments to provide pretended sophistication. It is another "rob the corpse" scavenger musical which has no actual reason for being. They should have used the plot from the original novel Smash rather than the television series. It will run for a while on the title and the glitzy sets and costumes, but it lacks the substance to be a comment on musical theatre like All About Eve/Applause,  or

I agree with your review. Lots of good individual elements, especially design elements, but the show itself does not hold together and the score is too genertic. Reminded me of Bullets on Broadway or New York, New York -- 30 million thrown at the audience in costumes, sets, lights, effects, but no show at the core. Since the problems are structural, doubtful it can be fully fixed before opening, but more money will be thrown at it.  It will probably run on the glitz for a while beca

It's about a beast who thinks he is a victim, a powerful woman who stands up for her rights, and  a narcissistic violent man who demands the girl submit to him sexually.  Only the violent man represents Make America Great again.  The show has dangerous DEI and WOKE themes about empowering women and healing the outcast.  

Isn't Be Our Guest is code for welcoming immigrants and foreigners, just as Belle is a foreigner in his castle?  Defini

What was a fun television soap opera with music might not make a good stage musical. What can they bring to the stage that will astonish or surprise? The television show had character types, not characters which was the fun. Hairspray worked so well because the songs were great early 60s pastiche for characters that went "against the grain" of 60s movie musicals which made the songs distinctive. I am not sure the characters Smash "sing" except in rehearsal songs for Maryli

I greatly miss No Way to Stop It from Sound of Music since it is a major thematic song about accommodating Nazis.   I miss Bushel and a Peck from Guys and Dolls, but like the addition of Adelaide. I miss Shall I Tell You what I Think of You and I Have Dreamed from King and I, I like the addition of the new Glamorous Life in Night Music movie (though the movie is weak). Miss Music and the Mirror from Chorus Line movie (and that movie is terrible). Miss the Bernstein songs from On The Town

You named so many great theatre moments. I would add Mary Martin's Flying in through the nursery windows in Peter Pan which was breathtaking. I would also cite the original Nicholas Nickelby staging with the cart going off under the bridge. The London Bridge sequence on the revolving set in the original production of Oliver! Hal Prince's original staging of the final scene in the original Cabaret where the characters repeat key lines. Hal Prince's and Boris Aronson's arrival o

BREAK A LEG for the company of Maybe Happy Ending. Finally, an original musical, not another revival, or a weakly plotted  jukebox retread,  or a movie desecrated with a generic mediocre score. Great to see Darren Criss originating a role.  Broadway needs more original new musicals. Last season had several good ones from Outsiders to Suffs to Gatsy and Sondheim's final show.  We need more new shows, so good luck to this season's newest show

Many Bay Area theatre companies and arts organizations have cut back due to sparse audiences and loss of subscribers . Even before the pandemic, audiences were getting sparse; after covid, audiences have almost disappeared for many venues.   SF Opera, SF Symphony, SF Ballet have all made cuts to their season offerings and often offer substantial discounts. Best of Broadway offers substantial discounts for most shows except Wicked. 42nd Street Moon, ACT, even Theatreworks in Palo Alt