NBC's SMASH - Series & Broadway Adaptation Thread- Page 83

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 10:41am

^^^ and don't forget all the images of Marilyn behind the actress.

[somethingwicked]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 10:41am

Was I the only one who noticed that they recycled the bed/ inverted mirror set piece from WOMEN ON THE VERGE... for Marilyn's bed at the very end of BOMBSHELL? They changed out the actual bed, but I laughed at seeing that exact same design concept (I wouldn't be surprised if it was the actual piece from WOMEN ON THE VERGE... pulled out of scenic storage.)

Updated On: 5/15/12 at 10:41 AM

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 10:41am

Does anyone know the name of the male dancer in the Wolf number who was right next to McPhee at the end of the rehearsal of the song and praised her? He was, um, memorable.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 10:43am

An honest question: how many composers actually orchestrate their work? I always thought that was Robert Russell Bennett's job.

Updated On: 5/15/12 at 10:43 AM

[nygrl232]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 11:13am

Maybe the melody was finished in time for the orchestra to learn it. In less than 4 hours...

Derek doesn't collaborate? Well, he's lucky he's surrounded by such crackerjack theater professionals who magically create and learn everything in no time, or he'd have to choose another line of work.

[SonofRobbieJ]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 11:13am

Well...Marc Shaiman orchestrates his own work...so meta.

The lyrics were finished just before the show...the music and orchestration were done by three (that was a line uttered by Borle).

I once got a song at 2pm, rehearsed it from 2:05-2:20 and put it in the show that night...off book. This was a little ridiculous...but not as much as you'd imagine.

I thought last night was delicious. Ivy can really throw the Cuntitude around, can't she. Ever since it was revealed that New Todd who we thought was Dead Todd was still Alive Todd on the very last episode of One Life to Live, my exsitence has been less vivid. SMASH has filled the void nicely.

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 11:15am

At the end of the day, Karen is a professional. She personifies "the show must go on." Her world is wrecked and she drew from that to perform in the show.

Ivy has a personality disorder and wears a puss on her face onstage whenever she's not the lead. She bangs directors, bad mouths peoples and pops pills. She's Neely O'Hara.

I was happy for Karen.

As far McPhee not looking like Marilyn, it doesn't matter. Maria Callas was not overweight, but Tyne did just fine in suspending people's disbelief. Marilyn actually had a small waist and Hilty is not built like Marilyn. They can water bra McPhee to give her a little more jiggle up top.

[Kalimba]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 11:21am

I kind of wish they just gave Karen a bit of hesitation before she started singing the opening number in Bombshell last night (as if she completely forgot everything for a second).

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 11:28am

Kalimba-I agree with you. It also would have been good to show a few missteps or missed notes to show that she pulled through. The audience rarely notices those things, but they do happen when understudies go on.

[Jane2]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 11:29am

When it comes to physicality, in my eyes Hilty has the same body as Marilyn, and a much closer face resemblance than McPhee. However, I do see the softness and vulnerability that is present in McPhee.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 11:41am

So will we ever know who the "She's not breathing" clip referred to?

[kdogg36]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:06pm

So, they finished writing the last song 15 minutes before curtain, and not only did Karen learn it, but a complete set of orchestra parts magically materialized!

...and lighting cues too!

Well, I was under the impression that the lyrics were the hold-up. Perhaps everything else was already in place a few hours before.

I'm not denying that the time scale was unrealistic, of course, but I was willing to suspend disbelief. :)

[kdogg36]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:09pm

The final song, while nice, really isn't right. Marilyn's image is one of the most iconic in history. It's everywhere. Who's going to forget Marilyn? Don't forget me? History won't allow us.

In the universe of Smash, people are forgetting. In the first episode, Julia asked Leo what came to his mind when she said "Marilyn," and "Monroe" wasn't his first response or his second. I don't know whether this accords with reality or not; do any younger folks here have any sense of that?

[Borstalboy]

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

I, like most people, have not been a fan of Ellis or the actor who plays him, but I honestly felt sorry for the guy that his story arc was finished in such a lets-get-this-over-with matter. If there has been a snag with SMASH all through, its that they bring up storylines and conflicts and then resolve them in the most quick, pat, and unbelievable way imaginable. I still feel like the writers are being rushed to put this stuff out for a deadline. Lets hope they have a productive summer.

My favorite part of the evening was when Anjelica Huston says, "My assistant poisoned the lead" and Joe Jonas doesn't say "WHAT?" or "My God what happened!", but smiles and nods as if to say, "Oh, been there, girl."

I'm in the minority, I wasn't crazy about the new song. Was the original ending really that bad?? And McPhee singing the songs just underlined that fact that, frankly, Hilty did them all infinitely better.

Ivy's behavior in the show has always been rooted in fear and desperation, I liked the ambivalence of it. So I was disappointed when it was revealed that she did in fact steal the ring. There was really no reason for her do to that except now shes THE BITCH on the show and we aren't supposed to feel any sympathy for her.

[DottieD'Luscia]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:17pm

I'm not so sure if Ellis has been written out (yet), or at least he hasn't hinted as much in any interview I've read of his.

Updated On: 5/15/12 at 12:17 PM

[The Pud]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:18pm

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/story/2012-05-14/smash-suggestions-katharine-mcphee/54963376/1

If "Smash" wants to become one.... article in USA Today

Leave the pop songs to GLEE! Agree I never understood that either.

[broadwayfever]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:23pm

I've been discussing the finale with people here at work and everybody seems to have loved it. It doesn't matter who got the role or who deserved it more...afterall, they're fictional characters. Ultimately, what matters is that the show was entertaining and that there's going to be a season 2.

[MrMidwest]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:39pm

I'm kind of curious about what they'll do regarding the music next season. Bombshell is pretty stuffed with songs at this point. I can see them maybe replacing a couple of the songs with new ones, but aside from that, what will be the reasons for Marc to write new music? Dream sequences? Performances outside of the actual show-within-show?

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:44pm

The USA Today suggestion that Hilty should leave BOMBSHELL and pursue her own career track and thus bifurcate the show is a terrible idea.

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:50pm

'Katharine McPhee was incredibly sub par at the last number'

haha get a grip, she was great

[Yero my Hero]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:55pm

Ivy's behavior in the show has always been rooted in fear and desperation, I liked the ambivalence of it. So I was disappointed when it was revealed that she did in fact steal the ring. There was really no reason for her do to that except now shes THE BITCH on the show and we aren't supposed to feel any sympathy for her.

I totally disagree. The way I saw that play out, Dev had left the ring in her room. She didn't find it until after Dev had proposed again, which she thought was pretty low and reprehensible (remember how she reacted when Dev asked her about the ring?). I feel like, by the time she gave it to Karen, she was so low and depressed, she knew she'd lost, and she had given up. I didn't see that as sabotage, since there was no sign on her face, even after she'd turned away. I think in that moment, she was actually trying to do the right thing. Maybe it was bad timing, but that's all. Maybe I'm just looking for reasons to continue rooting for her, but that's how it played to me. She'd given up.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:57pm

"As far McPhee not looking like Marilyn, it doesn't matter. Maria Callas was not overweight, but Tyne did just fine in suspending people's disbelief."

But everyone knows what Marilyn looked like. Callas was really known only to opera people. It would be like the character Ellis playing Elvis Presley. He wouldn't be believed because we've seen so much of Presley we know precisely what he looks like.

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 12:59pm

What was the point of the return of Nick Jonas?

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 1:13pm

Who knows?
Shuker's recap is up. She had me at "Viewpoints"

[Wynbish]

Posted: 5/15/12 at 1:20pm

"Does anyone know the name of the male dancer in the Wolf number who was right next to McPhee at the end of the rehearsal of the song and praised her? He was, um, memorable."

I think that is J. Manuel Santos, sometimes listed as Manuel Santos. I saw him in one of Andrew Keenan-Bolger's video blogs.