‘Phenomenal’ TV drama that was axed 12 years ago making major return
The original starred Debra Messing, Katharine McPhee and Anjelica Huston.
A TV series about the creation of a musical about Marilyn Monroe will be making its return a decade after it was cancelled.
Running for two seasons that aired in 2012 and 2013, Smash was executive produced by Steven Spielberg and followed a fictional New York City theatre community as they worked on a new Broadway musical.
The ensemble cast featured Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle, Megan Hilty, and Anjelica Huston.
It also featured original songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote the musical Hairspray, while the pilot was reported to have cost $7.5 million (£6 million).
Speaking to Vanity Fair recently, Davenport said the show was ‘insanely ambitious and profoundly original’. ‘And for people who love musical theatre, it blew their socks off,’ he added.
The first season was a critical success, receiving four Emmy Award nominations, as well as a Golden Globe and a Grammy.
Smash aired for two seasons, starting in 2012 (Picture: NBC)One critic called it ‘gloriously entertaining’ while it was embraced by fans too.
‘How refreshing to see an all-singing, all-dancing TV show which has a real plot which makes the viewer invest in the programme!,’ user jdjohnpaul17 posted on IMDB.
‘This new show is a breath of fresh air,’ Gregg shared.
‘The cast, level of vocal ability and performance, choreography, and dialogue were all excellent,’ aeiryl.
The original show has now been turned into a Broadway musical, which starts next month(Picture: NBC)
Another said the series ‘deserved more attention’.
However, it was then cancelled in 2013. But 12 years on it’s getting revived, this time on the stage.
Next month Smash will premiere on Broadway. Like the TV show, it will follow the behind-the-scenes process of staging Bombshell – a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe.
Producers have said it will ‘depart liberally from the series’, adding: ‘If you loved the TV series, it’s exactly what you want. And if you didn’t, we changed everything.’
The producers have said it ‘stands on its own’ (Picture: NBC)The part of Ivy, played by Hilty in the TV show, is taken on by Broadway veteran and Tony nominee Robyn Hurder, best known for appearing in Moulin Rouge.
Like in the series, a rivalry between actresses for who gets to play Monroe breaks out, with Ivy keen for her big break but coming up against Karen, an ‘ingenue from Iowa’, who was played by McPhee in the series.
Speaking about the difference in tone this time around, director Susan Stroman said while the TV series was ‘more of a melodrama…this is definitely comedic’.
‘It has familiar characters, but they are different in their backstories. It has many moments that pay homage to the TV series, but the musical stands on its own. It’s very eccentric,’ she added.
Smash is playing at the Imperial Theatre from March 11.
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