Official: Musical Version of SMASH is Being Adapted for Broadway- Page 2

[Valentina3]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 1:07pm

bwaylyric said: "For a series that got cancelled after two seasons with the last season going downhill, I don't think this is a great idea. Would tourists flock to see this? Glad it's not my money, but I'd rather have Steven Spielberg produce musicals of E.T. or Schindler's List."

I hope if we ever get E.T the musical, it's actually a musicalized version of Better Nate Then Never. I'd watch the sh** out of that story.

[KJ4]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 1:36pm

Some people here are full of negativity. I remember read some old thread and they bet the bombshell concert is gonna be disaster blah blah. Provide so many of guru opinions and those users just went quiet when the ticket sold out in 15 mins. You never hear them again and never got the apologize for some of the people they kind of look down at. The same happen here wz some of the comments.

The season 2 that is not so good things people keep mention here is just a hype back then. Seriuosly, the show on s2 is good as s1? I dont think so. But is it that bad to the point people keep talking about?. A big NO. It's even better than some shows that considered 'good' in people eye. It's just s1 is so good that the s2 is doom since the start. And when the hype of 'this s not good' keep spreading some people who not even watch the s2 also say it's bad mostly bcs people say it's bad. I remember one of the youtube comment in Hitlist concert saying this thing and I ask him a question about the show and he reply as he didnt watch the s2 yet. Surprised me that he said it's bad despite he himself didnt even watch it.

The casts even mention this yesterday during the break 'what is that all about?' they said  (And now all the fan are asking for the return). Have you seen the rating of the youtube that just lunch last night? How many views are there now? that s not somethings normal. The twitter trends go up number 1 last night, and now after the news it climb up again.

Updated On: 5/21/20 at 01:36 PM

[Back Row]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 2:00pm

I think a musical about a Broadway based TV show that got off to a promising start before it was micromanaged into mediocrity and then cancelled, but developed a cult following while the careers of the original cast went in varied and interesting directions might have some possibilities. Kind of a show within a show within a show.

Updated On: 5/21/20 at 02:00 PM

[ImaginaryManticore]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 2:05pm

This is exciting news! I return to Bombshell more than any of Shaiman and Wittman's other scores and have thought it's a shame it got trapped in a TV show with far, far weaker writing. It's been clear they're very attached to the score as well and put so much effort and thought into the songs.

The Bombshell synopsis with the CD is surprisingly convincing, but the show-within-a-show angle is still probably the smartest use of the material. I'm interested in seeing how they can keep the double meanings of the songs. The big challenge will be giving the characters coherent arcs and satisfying endings, because the series offered none of those.

[jayinchelsea]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 2:52pm

I actually thought this was a joke, especially after sitting through a painful two hours last night (in truth, at the one-hour mark I started skimming through, just to see the performers do their thing; most impressed by Donna McKechnie, who brought her nearly 60 years of stage experience to a quietly heartfelt song). How in the world could this be a successful Broadway show? Spielberg may have the "musical bug" after working on   the film of WEST SIDE STORY, but SMASH or BOMBSHELL? Shaiman and Whitman have one terrific work to their credit (HAIRSPRAY) but that's about it.

[IronMan]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 3:37pm

I look forward to the parts where the actors just leave the theater and wander out into Times Square while still wearing their costumes, wigs, and mics.  And the opening night party at the Hotel Carter should be amazing (-ly full of bedbugs and filth)! 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 4:47pm

IronMan said: "I look forward to the parts where the actors just leave the theaterand wander out into Times Square while still wearing their costumes, wigs, and mics. And the opening night party at the Hotel Carter should be amazing (-ly full of bedbugs and filth)!"

Lol Ivo would have a field day with it.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 5:52pm

There have actually been two big budget productions of Marilyn.  In addition to the debacle at the Minskoff, there was a totally different production around the same time in London.  It was much better than the Broadway one (light years), but too derivative of Evita, with a character called 'the camera' substituting for Che,  and both actively participating and commenting on the action around it.  IT was well done, but its lack or originality killed it at a minimum.

I think the idea of minimizing Smash is much better than Bombshell.  We only saw snippets of Bombshell (including the three different versions of Act 2 opening, two of which would have to go), but we got to like many of the characters putting on the show.  Clearly, with a 2 1/2 hour musical, they will need to limit scope, but that can be done.  

To me the problem with any musical of Marilyn is deciding what story to tell, how many key characters to include, etc.  The original Broadway version had so many 'commenters' that there was nothing but Marilyn and uninteresting duos or trios (e.g., (as I remember), a group of three fans with no individual identity, two gossip columnists with no individual identity, even the three husbands had virtually no real identity, as I recall, but I saw it once 30 plus years ago...).

 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 6:04pm

I just don't know how they're going to do this. Also why, but that's a whole other question. To trim 32 hours of television into a 2.5 hour show while also featuring songs from the musical Bombshell? It seems like the quite the Herculean task for a television show that a lot of people were proudly hate-watching back in the day. Did you have a favorite moment from the show? Well forget them all, because they're going to have to go back to square one to make this actually happen. 

[kennedy_rose]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 6:18pm

It'll be a giant pile of rubbish featuring Katharine McPhee with David Foster getting in on the deal somehow ($$$)...

And a veritable cash cow to revive Broadway from the ruins of Covid-19. That, at least, would be one saving grace.

Updated On: 5/21/20 at 06:18 PM

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 6:36pm

kennedy_rose said: "It'll be a giant pile of rubbish featuring Katharine McPhee with David Foster getting in on the deal somehow ($$$)...

An a veritable cash cow to revive Broadway from the ruins of Covid-19. That, at least, would be one saving grace."

I expect the show to be a lot like the first season: whenever McPhee opens her mouth, literally everyone acts like it's the first time they've ever heard music before.

[SweetLips22]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 7:19pm

For goodness sake just put the bloody thing to bed.

It was a so-so success on TV, had some great and terrible performances, had some [a few] amazing songs and then some only so-so, a script that was campy and obvious and boring[at times] and then a successful concert of the music from....over and out---done!

By the time this idea ever becomes a stage show, so many years will have passed, the campy crowd will have moved on to the next best flavour, the oldies will have passed on and the young ones, 'Marilyn who?'.

Good luck, and please give Megan Hilty a show so she can progress to be a Diva/Legend.

Thank you

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 7:22pm

Honestly, if it brings Megan back to NYC, even for a limited time, I'm all for it. Of course, no one knows anything about casting yet. 

[kennedy_rose]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 7:26pm

SweetLips22 said: "For goodness sake just put the bloody thing to bed.

It was a so-so success on TV, had some great and terrible performances, had some [a few] amazing songs and then some only so-so, a script that was campy and obvious and boring[at times] and then a successful concert of the music from....over and out---done!

By the time this idea ever becomes a stage show, so many years will have passed, the campy crowd will have moved on to the next best flavour, the oldies will have passed on and the young ones, 'Marilyn who?'.

Good luck, and please give Megan Hilty a show so she can progress to be a Diva/Legend.

Thank you"

And thank YOU. I agree 1000%.

 

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 7:35pm

Gosh the Karen or Ivy war is gonna be strong once again. Everyone has such strong opinions. 

So... idea! Let's see them go a little Edwin Drood with it. Write the book so that EVERYTHING is wrapped up before the final number. Everything but ONE thing. Who will they pick to be Marilyn? The audience votes (perhaps even with a phone app cus technology) at intermission and whomever they pick gets to close the show as Marilyn just like in Bombshell with "Don't Forget Me."

[ImaginaryManticore]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 8:21pm

Personally I hope they throw out everything from the series except the Bombshell songs and the general concept of those characters creating the musical. And I hope it will be amazing and successful and Megan Hilty stars in it.

I have a very love/hate relationship with the series. Seriously though, the concert proved that this score belongs onstage. There have been dozens of movies turned into musicals that haven't had one good song, and they've proven again and again that a good story on film doesn't necessarily translate to a good story onstage. With Smash, at least they won't even have the option of using an existing screenplay as a crutch.

[RunnyBabbit]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 8:55pm

Scarlet Leigh said: "Gosh the Karen or Ivy war is gonna be strong once again. Everyone has such strong opinions."

My mom never watched the show and I when I explained the concept to her last night before the concert I made sure to point out that the entire premise of the show was flawed because it started with the idea that Karen was even remotely acceptable as Marilyn.

So I'm ready for this battle again. lol!

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 8:57pm

I hope they write songs honoring the most memorable Smash moments and tropes.  I’m looking forward to the rousing “I’m in tech” number along with Julia’s heartfelt “Scarf of a Different Color” and of course Frank’s longing “Salad Ballad” that he sings post-divorce when he realizes they never got around to giving him a purpose outside the kitchen.

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 9:26pm

Scarlet Leigh said: "Gosh the Karen or Ivy war is gonna be strong once again. Everyone has such strong opinions.

So... idea! Let's see them go a little Edwin Drood with it. Write the book so that EVERYTHING is wrapped up before the final number. Everything but ONE thing. Who will they pick to be Marilyn? The audience votes (perhaps even with a phone app cus technology) at intermission and whomever they pick gets to close the show as Marilyn just like in Bombshell with "Don't Forget Me.""

Love this idea! I always said Spelling Bee and/or Hands on a Hardbody should have gone the Drood route - it's such a fun way to get the audience involved. 

[soulgrrl]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 9:43pm

Sutton Ross said: "Honestly, if it brings Megan back to NYC, even for a limited time, I'm all for it. Of course, no one knows anything about casting yet."

Completely agree. At minimum, Megan needs to be cast BUT if Kat McPhee is ANYWHERE near this project, it’s going to be a hard pass for me. One of my biggest pet peeves of the tv show was how the “shows” creatives would wax rhapsodically about her star quality. It was insufferable and insulted the audience as though we didn’t have eyes and  ears to see she was completely miscast and out of her league compared to Hilton. Physically, her being rail thin, curveless and tall didn't help matters.  She always looked awkward in the role. 

They need a suitable actress who can embody the spirit of Marilyn (already an incredibly high bar) to play opposite against Hilty.
 

 

 

[Tag]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 12:55am

Jarethan said: "There have actually been two big budget productions of Marilyn."

Also don't forget the third.  "Marilyn! The New Musical" played at the Paris in Las Vegas in 2018 staring Ruby Lewis (of Broadway's Paramour).  It closed after 23 performances.  Further solidifying that this property...just doesn't work.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 2:18am

Scarlet Leigh said: "Gosh the Karen or Ivy war is gonna be strong once again. Everyone has such strong opinions.

So... idea! Let's see them go a little Edwin Drood with it. Write the book so that EVERYTHING is wrapped up before the final number. Everything but ONE thing. Who will they pick to be Marilyn? The audience votes (perhaps even with a phone app cus technology) at intermission and whomever they pick gets to close the show as Marilyn just like in Bombshell with "Don't Forget Me.""

You would think we've got more than enough phone use in theater. Don't think it'll be a good idea to encourage people to turn on their phone during the intermission which they might forget to turn it off.

[VintageSnarker]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 3:44am

JGPR2 said: "" Interesting. I do wonder if it is ‘smash’ or ‘bombshell’ we wanted to see on stage but I suppose the decision has been made for us. Interesting."

I guess they could never figure out how to write a decent book for "Bombshell"."

I think it makes more sense to do Smash than Bombshell if only because the songs for Bombshell are so unwieldy. There's way too much material and while it works in the tv show, it wouldn't hold together if you tried to arrange it into a musical. Songs would have to be cut and replaced with new songs that tell Marilyn's story more effectively. 

That said, a big problem with Smash was the terrible storylines they wrote for the behind the scenes drama, especially with the creative team. I will say that if I have faith in anyone writing a show within a show, it's the guy who wrote The Drowsy Chaperone. I have less faith in the guy who wrote This Ain't No Disco and The Cher Show.

[latitudex1]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 3:51am

Hmm, they could always use the novel as a guide as it is quite a bit more succinct. Once the creative team settles on what to focus on, it should be simple to cut from there.

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 5/22/20 at 7:09pm

Rumpelstiltskin said: "I hope they write songs honoring the most memorable Smash moments and tropes. I’m looking forward to the rousing “I’m in tech” number along withJulia’s heartfelt “Scarf of a Different Color” and of course Frank’s longing “Salad Ballad” that he sings post-divorce when he realizes they never got around to giving him apurpose outside the kitchen."

They need to think bigger! How about a tear-stained ballad from the teenage boy who didn't get the baby sister adopted from China as promised? They can even reuse the title from the old Harry Warren song: "Looking for My Shanghai Lil"!