SMASH Reviews — Page 2

NY Stage Review

SMASH: MARILYN, WE HARDLY KNEW YE

By Michael Sommers

★★☆☆☆ Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman recycle their TV score for the stage

https://nystagereview.com/2025/04/10/smash-marilyn-we-hardly-knew-ye/



SMASH: MARILYN MUSICAL NEITHER SMASH NOR BOMB

By Roma Torre

★★★☆☆ The popular TV series about the making of a Broadway musical finally makes it to the Great White Way.

https://nystagereview.com/2025/04/10/smash-marilyn-musical-neither-smash-nor-bomb/

is jesse green ok?

MemorableUserName said: "Good lord. A Critic's Pick from Green

Review: In a Musical Comedy Makeover, ‘Smash’ Lives Up to Its Name

En route to Broadway, the TV series about backstage shenanigans and Marilyn Monroe has been rejiggered, with the same great songs but a whole new plot.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/10/theater/review-smash-musical.html

"Great musical comedies are great mysteries, and not just because they’re so rare. They’re also mysteries in the way they operate. To succeed, they must keep far ahead of the audience, like thrillers with twists you can’t see coming. They are whodunits with songs instead of murders.

“Smash,” which opened on Thursday at the Imperial Theater,is more of a who’ll-do-it, and when the big song comes, it’s a killer. But the effect is the same: It’s the great musical comedy no one saw coming.""

I’m convinced he’s just trolling us at this point. What a joke.

Theatremania is positive, with some reservations

Updated On: 4/10/25 at 10:35 PM

NY Daily News/Chicago Tribune

BROADWAY REVIEW: ‘Smash’ lacks much of what made TV show a cult favorite

https://www.nydailynews.com/2025/04/10/broadway-review-smash-musical-marilyn-monroe-bombshell/

"It’s all just a mess without a clear point of view beyond getting up something related to the cult series, and what is further surprising is that the show is not especially spectacular. I thought the work of the gifted choreographer Joshua Bergasse would explode onto the stage,but that’s just not the case as we flit from rehearsal room to upstairs at Sardi’s in one book scene after another. Beowulf Boritt‘s set does not take the designer’s usual risks."

ElephantLoveMedley said: "Is Jesse Green okay???????"

lol hey

4 stars from The Guardian

Review

Smash review – canceled TV drama gains new life on Broadway

Imperial Theatre, New York

The much-ridiculed musical TV series has been transformed into a sleekly enjoyable new stage show, complete with Easter eggs for its cult fanbase

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2025/apr/10/smash-review-broadway

What the actual hell is happening here.

AKarp2013 said: "is jesse green ok?"

Like I get theater is subjective but isn't he just devaluing the critics pick at this rate

Theatrely

A Ruthless, Sensational SMASH — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/a-ruthless-sensational-smash-review

"That it subtitles itself “A Comedy About a Musical” is one of the few kindnesses imparted by Smash, the stage adaptation of the messy but memorable 2012 television series about the troubles of putting a show on Broadway. I mean that as a high compliment, because this show provides a delectably nasty view of show business to rival that of Bob Fosse. Energetically cynical and committed to upending easy audience comforts, it’s best viewed as a play tracing the creative process with high-octane choreography, vocals, and just enough earnestness to save it from choking on itself. It likely won’t be for everyone, but it’s vicious fun for those along for the ride."

Observer

‘Smash’ Is Escapist Fluff and Exactly What We Need Right Now

Loosely adapted from a short-lived television series, this musical comedy about the making of a musical is full of showstopping songs and powered by a phenomenal cast.

https://observer.com/2025/04/smash-is-escapist-fluff-and-exactly-what-we-need-right-now/

An A- from Entertainment Weekly

Smash review: The infamous NBC drama is reborn as a riotous musical

The long-gestating production about the making of a Marilyn Monroe musical succeeds where NBC's much-maligned series failed.

https://ew.com/smash-review-broadway-nbc-drama-riotous-musical-11710412

"Bowman's powerful vocals and endearing sweetness bolster the somewhat underwritten role of Karen, while Hurder and her show-stopping pipes make Ivy a divalicious delight. Beowolf Boritt and S. Katy Tucker’s sleek stage design blends practical sets with large-scale projections, allowing the action to move seamlessly between Bombshell’s big production numbers and the rehearsal studio."