SMASH Previews- Page 14

[broadwayboy223]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 2:49pm

It's kinda wild to see everything from "this is a blast!" to "just terrible" about this show. I grew up with the tv show and it was very formative for me. I'd like to see this when I get the chance but I have to admit I was hoping for a full on bombshell adaptation (as silly as it would've been in a way). 

[Broadway61004]

Posted: 4/4/25 at 11:00pm

I have seen Soul Doctor, Tuck Everlasting, Debbie Allen's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and the Sally Field Glass Menagerie. And Smash is the worst thing I have ever seen on a Broadway stage.

[PipingHotPiccolo]

Posted: 4/5/25 at 12:34am

i didnt understand why anyone thought to pull Betty Boop off the shelf, but i was impressed with what they build out of that hairbrained idea. i 100% understand the urge to pull Smash off the shelf--the score is chock full of treasures. its just a shame this is what they came up with to house those songs.

they are great songs. this is a great score and its performed really well. the criticism of the show is warranted, i get it, but the notion that this is the worst 2.5 hours spent in a theater is just ridiculous. gripe all you want, and im about to, but did i enjoy listening to these ladies sing these songs? i did. and so did the roaring audience that sold out the theater tonight.

so the good: hurder is killing it in an impossibly stupid role. bowman is killing it in a shockingly simple silly role. bella coppola blows the roof off the place, and i cant remember the last time an audience exploded like that after such a kick ass vocal show. about 50% of the attempted humor lands, thanks to ashmankas who is doing the same ole shtick but really well. i laughed out loud more than a few times, and act 1 in particular moves at a healthy clip. 

but the bad: as wonky as the insultingly stupid storyline is in act 1, it just gets outright ridiculous in act 2 and you can feel the air hissing out of the theater as it slogged on. Krysta Rodriguez and John Behlemann are so talented and so naturally likeable (and he so funny) that its almost impressive how this book saps them of humor or interest. i CANNOT believe that grown adults landed on "Ivy Lynn thinks she IS Marilyn due to her relationship with an old lady played like Igor from Young Frankenstein" and i CANNOT believe they wrapped up that mental instability with a quick "im sorry i was insane" and thats it. the body positivity angle is so mishmashed and nonsensical. there is no consisent message or tone or even character we can invest in or care about. its truly hard to articulate how idiotic much of it is.

BUT the good is still good. i did not have a bad time by any stretch, partly because you all got me prepared for a total disaster and it wasnt, but partly because even though the pretext for setting up the numbers was rough, the numbers themselves were not at all. 

im glad we did TDF for this. Dead center of the very front of the Rear Mezz. No bad seats, though. Lotta snarky comments about the show from the people around us, but lots of laughing and screaming in appreciation too. Shrug. Ive definitely seen worse.

Updated On: 4/5/25 at 12:34 AM