NBC's SMASH - Series & Broadway Adaptation Thread- Page 8
NBC's SMASH - Series & Broadway Adaptation Thread
AwesomeDanny
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/30/09
#175SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:18pmI watched the pilot for the second time tonight (I watched it a few weeks ago online) and loved it again. I'm really excited for next week's episode. This definitely has the potential to be my new favorite show. I hope that it got good ratings! Perhaps the fairly generic advertising that barely hinted at the fact that the show is about Broadway helped with that?
henrikegerman
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/29/05
#176SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:19pmLoved everything about it. From the music to the story. Love that McPhee and Hilty are both likable characters. Love the whole cast. Especially Messing. Great role for her. Great to see not only Brian d'arcy James as Messing's husband but Dylan and Becky Ann Baker as McPhee's parents!
#177SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:20pm
I found Smash to be very exciting, new and likely my new favorite show. Their first episode was better than any Glee episode, it actually had heart, a purpose & there wasn't all that auto-tune shoved in our faces. What I would really like to see out of Smash, and it's something Glee would never do, is to do a live episode. Love Bergasse's choreography. Always have and am very glad he's getting his break. He needs to be choreographing some Broadway shows as well.
I just have to wonder where they'll take the story. When the show ends up on Broadway(likely in season 2, maybe season 3, according to interviews), do they cut out Hilty or McPhee? Does one land the lead and the other simply u/s the other? Very curious as to which direction they will take this.
A Chorus Line revival played its final Broadway performance on August 17, 2008. The tour played its final performance on August 21, 2011. A new non-equity tour started in October 2012 played its final performance on March 23, 2013. Another non-equity tour launched on January 20, 2018. The tour ended its US run in Kansas City and then toured throughout Japan August & September 2018.
#179SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:28pmWell Uma Thurman is coming in for a five episode arc later in the season. I know that doesn't answer your question but they clearly have ways on how to prolong it and the longevity of the series.
"I think lying to children is really important, it sets them off on the right track" -Sherie Rene Scott-
#180SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:32pmThere's no way they cut Hilty or McPhee out of the series. There are a million directions they can take both characters even if, as some of the rumors are stating, Marilyn is actually cast early on. Whoever doesn't get the part could understudy, get a part in the ensemble, try to seduce the director, attempt a coup after an out-of-town tryout, or take a temporary detour, try another show, and have their paths cross again. The possibilities are really endless and I only mentioned a few pretty cliched ideas, but that's why I'm not a television writer.
Scratch and claw for every day you're worth!
Make them drag you screaming from life, keep dreaming
You'll live forever here on earth.
#181SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:33pm
I thought the show was pretty good. Loved Debra Messing (and Brian d'Arcy James), and her relationship with Christian Borle. I thought the original songs were so-so, and I much preferred seeing them presented in the rehearsal studio than in the staged versions (the baseball number in costume was ridiculous--I would not be interested in that show).
To me, this show is a drama and they should not overdo it with production numbers (esp. while the Marilyn musical is supposedly just in development), or with the pop songs. I think the characters and their relationships (Julia-Tom, Julia-Frank, Karen-Dev) are interesting enough in themselves, as well as the insight into the creative process and development of a show. I think they should be careful not to make the show too Glee-like (not that I have an issue with: it's good in it's own way), but maintain a level of maturity and realism.
Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)
#182SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:35pm
The Toronto Star showed Smash to 3 Canadian Broadway performers ("Bob Martin starred on Broadway in 2006 in the musical he helped create, The Drowsy Chaperone, and won a Tony. Louise Pitre starred on Broadway in 2000 in Mamma Mia!, for which she got a Tony nomination. Adam Brazier played the romantic lead on Broadway in one of Andrew Lloyd Webber's few flops, 2005's The Woman In White.") and printed their comments/conversation about the show:
http://www.toronto.com/article/712332--three-broadway-vets-from-toronto-have-a-bash-at-smash
Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)
#183SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:36pmRandom point - but did anyone else notice the American Idiot ad on the top of one of the cabs in the pilot? The show's been closed for a while on Broadway but is conveniently touring the country at this very moment. It was one of the only ads for a currently-running show I saw in the pilot. Tricky, tricky Michael Mayer.
Scratch and claw for every day you're worth!
Make them drag you screaming from life, keep dreaming
You'll live forever here on earth.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#186SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:49pmI didn't realize it was filmed so long ago. Either way, Michael Mayer still definitely was using a few seconds of free advertising on his show. I do think the tour was announced last winter though, so he probably knew. You can correct me if I'm wrong.
Scratch and claw for every day you're worth!
Make them drag you screaming from life, keep dreaming
You'll live forever here on earth.
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
#187SMASH
Posted: 2/6/12 at 11:50pm
No offense but so the f what? I expect lots of little easter egg details on this show.
For instance, did anybody else notice how the episode was a little mini scrapbook of the Tony Kushner season last year at Signature Theatre? Oh, and you know who directed The Illusion? Michael Mayer!! It was like retroactive free advertising for that and iHo and Angels in America!!!!
Twitter @NamoInExile
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Updated On: 2/6/12 at 11:50 PM
FindingNamo
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/22/03
bwaylvsong
Broadway Legend Joined: 7/28/05
NYadgal
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/04
NYadgal
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/04
#194SMASH
Posted: 2/7/12 at 12:37am
Love these lyrics:
The drama, the laughter,
The tears just like pearls.
Well, they're all in this girl's repertoire.
It's all for the taking,
And it's magic we'll be making.
Let me be your star!
"Two drifters off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see. . ."
JP2
Broadway Legend Joined: 6/2/07
#196SMASH
Posted: 2/7/12 at 12:42am
8 Burning Questions:
IS THE SHOW ALL ORIGINAL SONGS?
Even though the show chronicles the development of an original musical and features several original songs, there are also a fair amount of covers. When it comes time to make the albums, this could be the way they release them, according to co-executive producer Craig Zadan. 'They'll be two kinds of music, so, one way of going is an album with the covers and then an album with the Marilyn songs, almost like an original Broadway cast recording,' he says. 'At the end of the season we should have at least 15 Marilyn songs. So that's a cast album, basically.' A solid decision has yet to be made.
WILL THE SONGS BE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD?
The release of songs after they air is half of the fun of watching a music-based show (cough...Glee...cough). So, how will Smash handle its hits? According to co-executive producer Neil Meron, cover songs likely will be released to the public (and available for download) the night before or day after they air. 'Very similar to the Glee model,' he says. Music from the pilot is already available.
WHAT'S THE INTEL ON THE ALBUM? THERE WILL BE AN ALBUM, RIGHT?
As EW reported, there is indeed going to be a compilation album, but, Meron warns that the show features less music than Glee, so don't look for several volumes per season. 'Glee, they have a lot more music than we do. It's a lot more music per episode,' he says. However…
HOW MANY SONGS ARE THERE PER EPISODE?
About three. But it varies. In the pilot, there are several songs from the Marilyn musical and one pop song.
WHO BESIDES KATHARINE MCPHEE AND MEGAN HILTY WILL BE SINGING?
With a host of Broadway talent on their roster, Meron says they'd eventually like to get everyone singing, but 'it all depends upon the construction of the episodes.' For example, Brian d'Arcy James, who plays the husband of Debra Messing's character, sings in a 'naturalistic way,' says Meron. 'So, it really fits his character and how he breaks into song. He is the chemistry teacher husband of a songwriter, but he's not in show business himself. But there are ways we can get him to sing in a very real way.'
WHAT GENRE OF MUSIC WILL THE COVERS GENERALLY BE FROM? ANY SURPRISE SELECTIONS IN STORE?
There's a little bit of everything. (The second episode, Meron says, opens with a Katharine McPhee cover of 'Call Me' by Blondie.) 'We have more contemporary songs, like Adele or Rihanna, that come up, and then there [are] some classic songs from the '70s as well,' he says. 'So we're in the pop vernacular, but contemporary pop so we sometimes go back to the '70s and '80s, too.' Just don't look for any, say, Kanye West to pop up. 'Not yet. We've kinda stayed away from the hip-hop-R&B world. Rihanna is as close as we get, but it's very much more in the pop R&B [world],' Meron says.
WILL WE EVER SEE THE FINISHED MARILYN MUSICAL?
Not this season. 'At the end of this season, we open out of town. So the show's not finished, the show's still a work in progress,' says Zadan. 'By the time we go, if we come back next season, and we are on the road to Broadway, we haven't really decided how much of Marilyn the musical we're going to show. We may show a lot of it, we may show less. It's all open to creative discussions based on what happens next season.'
BESIDES THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED (UMA THURMAN, NICK JONAS), ANY GREAT GUEST STARS?
With the amount of star power already present on the show, Zadan and Meron say they didn't want to overdo the guest stars this season. 'We wanted to focus on our stars of our show rather than throw in arbitrary guest stars to, like, try and spruce it up. We don't really want to start that way,' says Zadan.
Link
....but the world goes 'round
NYadgal
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/04
ASOOS04
Stand-by Joined: 2/2/05
#198SMASH
Posted: 2/7/12 at 1:09am
I tend to "lurk" because i so WHOLEHEARTEDLY disagree with the vast majority of what you people discuss as fact (when in reality, you have almost no idea of the truth behind your hypothesis). That being said, this is one of the worst pieces of garbage on television or in any medium. I know for a fact where this script is headed and it is a MESS. But, you all bought it, hook line and sinker.....so, here we go...may the continued debate continue...but you may not have the opportunity as long as you had thought.
You can al continue to theorize, speculate, debate, argue and jump up and down on your worthless soapboxes...but when the proverbial curtain comes down, the ignorance is deafening. Good luck!
TheatreDiva90016
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/04
#199SMASH
Posted: 2/7/12 at 2:54amNo wonder you lurk...
"TheatreDiva90016 - another good reason to frequent these boards less."<<>>
“I hesitate to give this line of discussion the validation it so desperately craves by perpetuating it, but the light from logic is getting further and further away with your every successive post.” <<>>
-whatever2
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