Well last night was one of the more preposterous Smash episodes of the whole series. So little made sense that it made sense to make nothing make sense and therefore provide a backdrop of senselessness that was supposed to help us make sense of it all.
The timelines and pacing of our three musicals were all at different speeds. Liaisons had just given a rehearsal preview for the press and then all of a sudden they were going to opening night? Where was the rest of rehearsal? What about previews? Supposedly 2 months had passed for the cast of Liaisons, yet the Bombshell and Hit List casts hadn't made the 2 month jump with them!
Everything we have learned about Liaisons over this season leads to a massive list of inconsistencies and confusions.
-We first heard about Liaisons when Tom gave Ivy an out of print cast recording the show. He also mentioned that Madeline Kahn won a Tony for Featured Actress in a Musical for the show. This sounds more like a flop from the 70s that would be suited for Encores rather than something fit for revival on Broadway. Also with the mention of Kahn we are led to believe this is a comedy.
-Hayes is stunt cast as the lead and Hilty is upset because this in fact a small, serious chamber musical. It has the potential to be moving and touching if given the chance and Hayes is sure to ruin it with all his clowning. Wait, this is the same serious chamber musical Kahn won a Tony for?
-If it is super serious why would A) the producers hire Hayes and B) Hayes want to do the show in the first place? I mean CZJ didn't want to come to Broadway in revival of Tovarich or Wildcat! I know Hayes is a bit off, but this is career suicide (and last night he said to Ivy, "I guess this isn't going to revive my career?").
-Hayes has a breakthrough though and agrees to take criticism of his performance. Presumably we are going to see this show because a great little serious chamber musical it could have been. But now it's just boring so Ivy decides (sometime in previews? the day before opening night?) to just have fun with it!
-This small chamber musical is playing The Broadway.
-Now we get a crazy big production number! Would this big number ever be written for this small chamber musical? Now we do feel like this could have been in a flop show that Kahn walked off with, but this contradicts the last few weeks of Hilty fighting to make Liaisons the brilliant show she knows it could be.
Hit List is being produced by Manhattan Theater Workshop which I guess is like a combination of MTC and Roundabout? Martin likes the show, but feels it would be better suited for their underground space (The first thing said on this ep that actually does make sense!). Hit List reminds me, in tone, of Ordinary Days, which played Roundabout's black box theater a few years ago. It would be a perfect fit. Of course Derek sees it in a big house and Jeremy is such a brat that he's not going to take any advice/criticism and he's NOT going to do rewrites!! Manic depressives never do rewrites anyway, so this also makes sense.
The presentation is so good though that Martin basically says get out of the underground and take this to Studio 54!! Derek's vision of the show is truly awful, making me doubt if he ever was a good director. The song was bad too. We can't think Jeremy is some Wunderkind if all his songs suck!
This left us with Bombshell to try to ground the episode, but somehow it managed to have the looniest plot of all! Derek signs off on letting them use his choreography? Eileen is back in charge? And the most unrealistic thing of the entire series- Karen quits Bombshell, negating everything she did for the duration of the first season, to take a potential job in a non-profit underground show. It was the first time I actually felt bad for McPhee. She's not the greatest actress, but how is she supposed to play Karen when the writing sends her in such illogical directions.
Marie: Don't be in such a hurry about that pretty little chippy in Frisco.
Tony: Eh, she's a no chip!
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