NBC's SMASH, Season 2 -- Discussion — Page 124

Putting my tendency for cynicism aside, I actually felt very fulfilled with the ending. Ivy and Bombshell winning were definite nods from the creative team to the audience that they were in fact kind of almost somewhat listening to us. The only thing that really bothered me was the fact that after we watched Ivy try to tell Derek she's pregnant like 4 times throughout the episode, we didn't get to see their conversation in the end. Oh well, other than that, it was SMASH being SMASH and I will miss it so.

I wish there was a season three that went back in time and showed us the development of Imitatiton of Life. They could use the real creative team and performers. It'd certainly be more entertaining than Hit List was.

The first season may have had some really bad moments, but overall, I thought the second season was much worse. While Theresa Rebeck may have gone too far with her control issues, under her, the show was a more realistic view of the theatre in which nobody called a show doctor a dramaturg or sat at a table in a group and read silently and called that a read-through. But, more than that, the first season felt like it had a love of the theatre and fascination in the creation of art, whereas the second season was about love lives with the occasional song her and there.

Ah, well, I will certainly miss watching a show about Broadway with some of its best talent. The pilot showed so much potential. I guess we'll never get to see the show that could have been.

They filmed a Gypsy Robe scene but then decided not to air it. Since we don't know too many chorus folks from either show, I can't see how it would have held much interest.

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When casting kooky New York Jewish dancer Gittel Mosca in Seesaw, the first name that comes to mind is... Kate Baldwin?

>> When casting kooky New York Jewish dancer Gittel Mosca in Seesaw, the first name that comes to mind is... Kate Baldwin?

I enjoyed hearing all the additional nominees, which I think were hysterically tongue-in-cheek:

Best Book of a Musical:
Harvey Fierstein for The Gathering Storm
David Lindsay-Abaire for The Last Good Year

Best Original Score:
Imitation of Life (couldn't hear the writer - "James" somebody)
The Last Good Year music and lyrics by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul
It's Over music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman

It was also funny that whenever Hit List won an award, the orchestra just vamped a few bars of completely different rhythms (not even melodies) every time.

Updated On: 5/27/13 at 07:56 AM

Nothing like Ivy stating in her acceptance speech that there is nothing like LIVE THEATER- only to read that if there was a Season 3 of Smash, Safran would have focused on turning a musical into a movie..LOLOL And we wonder WHY Smash did not succeed.

That said,for what it's worth, I am glad that Bombshell won the Tony, glad that Ivy won also (mostly glad that Karen did not), glad that Megan, Christian and Jack came out of this mess of a show on top of their game, and annoyed as heck we had to see "Michael" in the last scenes while dissing Frank again - ignoring that Frank was the decent guy and Michael was a sleeze so Julia could look better. And mostly sad this show about Broadway that should have been so amazing... is all over in spite of everything.

It was Tesori & Kushner with choreography by Susan Stroman.

Tom also said of Imitation of Life, "It was pretentious as hell...but I cried my eyes out."

Anika was nominated for Featured Actress, but none of the other female roles in Imitation of Life were nominated.

In fact, I think every other female nominee was nominated from a revival, although no director or choreographer from a revival was nominated for a Tony.

I would very much have liked to see Anika sing a number from Imitation of Life. (It's a pretty soapy movie, so if they made it too pretentious something went wrong, but all the little tidbits we've heard about this show have intrigued me. Marin Mazzie could have even played the Lana Turner role.)

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I remember when they were announcing the nominations, one was Diane Paulus for Best Direction of a Musical for Oliver. I would actually be very intrigued to see what she would do with that show.

Someone said they saw pictures of a filmed TONYS Let's Be Bad, so maybe they will show up on a DVD later.

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Found this gem on tumblr.


Sutton Foster. Oliver

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If an IMITATION OF LIFE musical were to actually happen, Kate Baldwin would actually be a perfect Lora Meredith--a much better fit than Gittel Mosca!

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AV Club gives it a C-

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