Official: Musical Version of SMASH is Being Adapted for Broadway

[Rob]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 8:01am

Click Here to Read Official: Musical Version of SMASH is Being Adapted for Broadway

[binau]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 8:15am

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.

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 8:17am

Disappointing announcement. They’ve been talking about bringing it to broadway for years, so this isn’t a surprise. And there’s still no date. If S&W are working on Some Like It Hot for next year, this still seems to be far down the line. Sorry to sound like a downer, but I was hoping for something more concrete.

[sparksatmidnight]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 8:19am

I mean, Steven Spielberg does seem the kind of guy who has the money to pay for a season three out of pocket since Smash is a perfect TV series, but I kinda don't see it condensed in two hours. What is even the story? The creation of a musical inside a musical? Two leading ladies fighting for the role? Will we even see Marilyn at all? I'm confused but excited and hoping for the best

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 9:12am

This adaptation, entitled “Smash, A New Musical,” will also follow the creation of “Bombshell,” but will “depart liberally from the series,” according to the press release. It will feature the main characters from the show — Julia, Tom, Ivy and Karen — and well-known songs including “Let Me Be Your Star.”

http://bway.ly/jf7qa9#https://broadwaynews.com/2020/05/21/smash-musical-aims-for-broadway/

[JP2]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 9:42am

jacobsnchz14 said: "This adaptation, entitled “Smash, A New Musical,” will also follow the creation of “Bombshell,” but will “depart liberally from the series,” according to the press release. It will feature the main characters from the show — Julia, Tom, Ivy and Karen — and well-known songs including “Let Me Be Your Star.”

http://bway.ly/jf7qa9#https://broadwaynews.com/2020/05/21/smash-musical-aims-for-broadway/"

 

 

Gotta be honest, mounting the show as SMASH rather than BOMBSHELL kinda makes more sense. And unlike all the previous Bombshell announcements, this has a full creative team.

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 9:46am

God I just never bought into this show at all.
Even the idea of this Marilyn biopic musical just seemed cheap and stupid. AND THERE ALREADY WAS A MARILYN MONROE BROADWAY SHOW.

“Let Me Be Your Star” is solid as a song but Smash was such a miss in my book.

Tacky as Glee

[JGPR2]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 9:50am

" 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". This sounds like it will be stage adaption of Season One with a bunch of cuts. I doubt Karen will have a BF story line or they will get into Julia's personal life which would be a good thing. I think it is a safe bet the show would end with "Bombshell" opening on Broadway. This would still give people all the music they loved from "Bombshell and I think would please most fans.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 9:56am

sparksatmidnight said: "...since Smash is a perfect TV series"

But like... is it though? Lol

[Kad]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 10:26am

There is no way a coherent book could ever have been written for Bombshell using the songs as presented in Smash.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 10:28am

Kad said: "There is no way a coherent book could ever have been written for Bombshell using the songs as presented in Smash."

Can't say they didn't try, though... https://twitter.com/jacobrivsan/status/1263270067468414982

[Valentina3]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 10:28am

Is it too much to ask for have actual women working on a show? Bombshell at least pretended to have Julia.

Kad - I think you're selling creativity of these people short. I think it's very much possible, as long as they're not afraid of retooling the storylines significantly.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 10:48am

It’s not about creativity, per se. The songs from the fictional Bombshell were written to serve three purposes: 1) tell the story of Marilyn Monroe ostensibly from the musical, 2) comment on the action in Smash, 3) work as standalone showstopping musical numbers.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 10:56am

It's exciting but there are really no details on it yet so...I'll wait. 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 10:59am

Just as a reminder, both seasons of the show are free to watch on nbc.com and the NBC app.

[hork]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 11:07am

They need to let this go. It was a bad show that was rightly canceled after two seasons and I doubt there are enough leftover fans to sustain a Broadway run.

[Tag]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 11:24am

I had to check to make sure this wasn't one of those April Fools articles.

[HenryTDobson]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:03pm

I had the same reaction, Tag. Exciting nevertheless! I wonder how many of the people from the TV show will reprise their roles in the stage show - let the dream casting begin! Beth Leavel for the Angelica Houston role!!

[Valentina3]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:21pm

Kad said: "It’s not about creativity, per se. The songs from the fictional Bombshell were written to serve three purposes: 1) tell the story of Marilyn Monroe ostensibly from the musical, 2) comment on the action in Smash, 3) work as standalone showstopping musical numbers."

And since they're using the framing device of "show within show" and putting up SMASH - the musical, and not Bombshell - the musical, 1 and 2 sort of naturally fit in with the original intent of the songs. The show-stopping nature of all songs could either get exhausting or thrilling. Legally Blonde is one of those non-stop train of showstoppers, and it makes for a good experience as an audience member (the shi**y book notwithstanding). Yet another advantage of having a SMASH framing alleviates the concern about a single performer being able to sustain 8 performances a week with such hard songs.

I think it's safe to say that any approach towards putting up this musical will not focus on just SMASH fans. It will have to be marketed in a way so it is attractive to audiences outside of the pre-existing base. Most new shows don't even have a pre-existing fan base so it's really a bonus more than anything else.

I personally cannot have enough of these buddy-frenemy musicals with 2 leading ladies, so I'm all in to see how this shapes up :)

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:33pm

Oh how I will wish I could be hearing Megan and Kat singing the score onstage. However, I'm all in for this. I feel like it'll be a lot of fun for theatre insiders especially.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:40pm

Also, will there be a plane for Public Relations??? Fingers crossed.

[BCfitasafiddle]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:40pm

Also, will there be a plane for Public Relations??? Fingers crossed.

[Tag]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:52pm

They should rep Smash and Bombshell, like Harry Potter Part 1 & 2!

Updated On: 5/21/20 at 12:52 PM

[bwaylyric]

Posted: 5/21/20 at 12:53pm

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.

[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.