At Last, ‘Smash’ Sets Broadway Dates, Announces Cast
The Steven Spielberg-produced series Smash is finally making its way to Broadway next year. The 2012 musical series, which ran for two seasons, will be adapted for the stage with preview performances beginning March 11, and official performances beginning on April 10 announced on Tuesday, as Deadline reports.
Spielberg and Neil Meron reprise their producing roles for the Broadway show, and they will be joined by Robert Greenblatt. The Susan Stroman-directed stage show will take place at Broadway’s Imperial Theatre and traces the making of the Marilyn Monroe musical Bombshell, plus the behind the scenes pandemonium ahead of curtain call.
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The stage adaptation draws inspiration from the Theresa Rebeck-created series. In the NBC scripted series, two Broadway hopefuls are vying for a stage role as Marilyn Monroe. The two women in question are Karen (American Idol runner-up Katharine McPhee) and blonde-haired, chorus girl Ivy (Megan Hilty). For fans of the cult favorite, producers have previously said the production will “depart liberally from the series.”
The Broadway show will feature a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote over two dozen songs for the television show including the Emmy-nominated number “Let Me Be Your Star.” Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher) and Bob Martin (The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone) will write the book, and Joshua Bergasse, who choreographed for the musical series, will return for the stage show. Jennifer Hudson, who appeared as a guest star on Season Two, also joined the producing team for the production.
The Smash adaptation casts Moulin Rouge‘s Robyn Hurder as Ivy and Caroline Bowman as Karen. Other cast members include Krysta Rodriguez, who starred in the original NBC series, as Tracy; Brooks Ashmanskas as Nigel; Shucked’s John Behlmann as Jerry; Kristine Nielsen as Susan; Moulin Rouge’s Jacqueline B. Arnold as Anita; Six’s Bella Coppola as Chloe; and Some Like It Hot‘s Casey Garvin as Charlie.
The Smash stage adaptation was first announced in 2020, but premiere details were delayed due to the pandemic.
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