Smile The Musical

[Jemstar862]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 8:55am

Fo those of you that know the musical, I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts on the show are? Personally, I love it. Wish there was an actual recording of the show. And I'd love to see a revival.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 10:28am

I think Smile is probably too dated for a revival or a touring production, and although I loved the Broadway show myself, it didn't do very well. Of course, it opened just a week or so before the highly anticipated mega-hit "Les Mis" came to town, and that didn't help any.

The reason I say it's dated: it has a lot of pop culture references in the book and lyrics that make it very much an '80s musical. The bigger reason is that beauty pageants in general aren't really mainstream anymore. The Miss America Pageant was still relatively a "big deal" each year, garnering respectable ratings and a very loyal audience. Now beauty pageants feel more like "subculture" than "pop culture." It's a niche audience. And the entire show is about a beauty pageant, so there's not much else to grab onto thematically for modern audiences. There's no major romance, etc.

I did love the show when I saw the OBC, and I thought Howard Ashman's direction and book, and Hamlisch's music were all terrific. And I remember being knocked out by Jodi Benson and Anne Bobby.

[Mildred Plotka]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 11:52am

There is a cast recording of the show, it was just never officially released. I think you get it if you license the show. It's a shame, it's a great recording and a great score that more people should know.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 12:07pm

I love these clips. It's basically the first few scenes in the show. Probably for a media reel (or perhaps just a well-placed nannycam!). I wish it was the whole thing. You can get an idea of how well it flowed. The direction and staging were really solid, even if they were (appropriately) using that "show choir/pageant" choreography. The whole play felt very smooth and at times cinematic, particularly in Act II. And Hamlisch's score was great. There were several long "montage" sequences lasting 10-20 minutes, of songs/dialogue/dance numbers strung together (ala "Hello, Twelve"). Everything was integrated and it kept the pace going.

Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOotae7FoVs

Part 2: (including Jodi Benson singing "Disneyland" which got huge applause the night I saw it)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgf12WoyzEk

Updated On: 5/15/10 at 12:07 PM

[StephanietheStar]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 1:18pm

Thank you for posting. Jodi Benson is my favorite, I love watching her on stage since I wasn't lucky enough to be there live....

[Almira]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 1:26pm

I too saw SMILE. I respectfully don't agree that it is dated.... some of the references ,yes, but the pageant setting, no.

I feel that now that pageants aren't mainstream entertainment.. we can look back at the Reagan era with keener eyes. SMILE shows us the hypocrisy and illusion of that era's wholesomeness-for-profit mentality.

I believe SMILE hit too close to home with the Broadway tourist audiences at the time. And was preaching to the converted with the savvy New York audiences.

I understand that the main financial backer kept pressuring the authors to make it less "tough." If you read the new licensed version, it is has got sharper teeth than the Broadway version.

I honestly believe a smart director could mine the dark satire that is still in the show and make SMILE work. Much like in FOLLIES when we see the "revue" numbers. We say.. wow.. we really used to be entertained by stuff like that? What does that say about us now and then? With SMILE we similarity can ask.. wow...we strove to have our women like that? What does that say about us now and then.

As for the footage.. If you see the 60 MINUTES segment, the producers have video of the show playing in the background. I imagine they used it to review as they worked on the show while on the road.

I'm happy to see someone posted the 60 MINUTES segment online.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tz57cla09hk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1iKLiaQFCI&feature=related

Updated On: 5/15/10 at 01:26 PM

[bk]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 1:44pm

I've had the promo reel for a long time. I love Shine - and the opening number - both have incredible musical staging by someone named Mary Kyte. One would have thought that, based on what is seen here, that she would have become one of the busiest Broadway choreographers ever. So, why didn't she? I have my theory - which is that Michael Bennett came in and helped doctor the staging. It reeks of his style and steps. I've asked the question of Anne Bobby when I worked with her on Merrily and she just smiled. Given the Bennett/Hamlisch connection and the troubled out of town tryout, I don't think it's far-fetched and I think what's in this video is pretty obvious, especially if you see the rest of Shine - don't know why they cut it off on youtube.

[Almira]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 2:12pm

I can ENTIRELY believe that bk! I actually remember at the time thinking ..hmmm.. some of the staging's fluidity reminds me of DREAMGIRLS. At moments it had the same polish.

Anyway.. I just put on the Samuel French recording... the show has it dated references... but oddly it enough it is still timely..the hatred towards the immigrant Mexican because she is stealing the thunder of the entitled white girl.

The poking at so-called "conservative values." Values the characters preach while at the same time compromise. They even mention Arnold Schwarzenegger in an almost prophetic way.

I understand Hamlisch is resistant to high profile productions of the show. Anyone know if that is true? I would love to see ENCORES or REPRISE do it.

Updated On: 5/15/10 at 02:12 PM

[sondhead]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 5:11pm

SO glad this thread popped up. I had seen the promo videos before, but never the 60 minutes clip. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention!

I think the show is ultimately about what people will do to get ahead, and Ashman brilliantly shows that across the board, in the adults as well as the girls. He managed to write a satire that allows for a happy ending (Robin) while staying true to the dark undercurrent (Doria / Brenda's endings). I think it's a wonderful script with incredible structure, amazing scenework, and a fun and tuneful score. It also has the trademark Ashman tight construction with no filler, which is certainly refreshing compared to most things.

I think it could do well with a revival. A couple of lyric references (which honestly most people would either get or disregard as they move by at breakneck speed) are not enough to date his honestly told timeless story.

I don't know why Hamlisch is against it either. Seems like he'd want to give it a chance to redeem itself. It's all very sad to me because I find the work he did on it just stupendous.

What I think of most when I think of Smile is how genius Howard Ashman was. He knew his characters perfectly. His sense of structure and timing is unmatched in my opinion, and it's just such a shame he died when he did. He should have been teaching the next generation how to write musical books the way he could. Even in the small catalog of works he left behind, his talent is very apparent.

Let's bring Smile back! It's about time!!
Updated On: 5/15/10 at 05:11 PM

[bk]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 8:36pm

Hamlisch basically does not like to think about his failures. They don't interest him at all. He was fine with me recording the four songs we did on the couple of Unsung Musicals albums, but I lobbied to do a complete recording of the show, and that he was completely not interested in.

[best12bars]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 8:53pm

That's a shame, bk.

The show's "failures" could be chalked up to any number of things, and this score has some of Hamlisch's strongest melodies ever. I wish he wasn't so "black and white" about it. His work was great! I also think the structure (as I mentioned earlier) of song/dialogue/musical sequence was unique and refreshing. His collaboration with Ashman was "successful" in my book.

I actually remember opening my Playbill before the show started and looking over the songs in each act. It was so odd! There were only a handful of "sequences" listed. Things like "First Letter/Going To Santa Rosa/Second Letter." A lot of flowing montages. Not the usual individual song index for a Broadway musical, and I loved that.

And I absolutely love the "unsung" songs you recorded from Smile. At the time the CD came out, I hadn't heard them since I sat in the theatre that night, and they brought back some wonderful memories of a seriously underrated show. Plus you preserved a true performance highlight of that season with Benson's "Disneyland."

It might have gone "unsung" for good, had you not. So THANK YOU!

*tips hat respectfully*

[sondhead]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 8:57pm

A little PSA for folks out there... the Broadway production was captured for the Lincoln Center Archive, which I've seen. It's a great taping and (in my opinion) a great production. I feel like if THIS had been the version that played out of town and they had revised it to what is now licensed by the time it got to New York, its fate might have been different. Of course, it may just have been the wrong time for this show to be hitting NY, but...

Regardless--it's worth seeing in the library. Lots of wonderful things happening in it

[Kad]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 9:42pm

The only song I'm familiar with is "Disneyland", but I love it so much. The opening especially.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 5/15/10 at 11:25pm

Maybe Encores will do a production of this at some point.

[BWF]

Posted: 5/16/10 at 9:20am

I wish Marv would get over himself and allow a full recording to be made, I love the four tracks that were done for the Unsung Musicals series.

I'm in the UK and several years ago when I discovered this wonderful score through my visits here, I sent to Samuel French for a copy of the demo recording. They came back to me and said it was the express wishes of Mr Hamlisch that this recording never be sent to the UK. Bit of a 'gulp' moment all in all...

Updated On: 5/16/10 at 09:20 AM

[bk]

Posted: 5/16/10 at 1:48pm

Thanks for the nice comments re the Unsung recordings, much appreciated.