‘Smash’ Musical Finally Headed to Broadway for 2024-2025 Season
Smash is coming to the stage after years of anticipation. A musical adaptation of the NBC series, which ran for only two seasons, will open on Broadway for the 2024-2025 season, according to producers Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron, and Steven Spielberg.
Tony-award winning director Susan Stroman, who is currently helming New York, New York, will direct. Shaiman and Wittman, the composers of Hairspray and Some Like It Hot, are writing the score, which will include new material. The duo previously composed songs for the series, notably Emmy-nominated number “Let Me Be Your Star.”
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Rick Elice (Jersey Boys) and Bob Martin (The Prom) are writing the book for the musical, while Joshua Bergasse, the choreographer for the television show, will return for the stage show.
The original idea for the series, about putting on musicals on Broadway, came from Spielberg, who may finally get his EGOT.
“Smash is near and dear to my heart, and it was always my hope that a musical inspired by the show would eventually come to the stage,” the filmmaker said in a statement. “We now have an incredible creative team, and I’m looking forward to completing the Smash journey which began with my producing partners over 10 years ago.”
Meron added, “Ever since the show ended in 2012, not a week goes by that someone doesn’t ask us when will they see Smash as a musical. We think we’ve come up with something the die-hard series fans will love but that will also be exciting for people who never saw an episode of the show. And above all else it will be a valentine to the Broadway musical and the exhilarating rollercoaster ride of bringing one to life.”
The original series starred Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, and Christian Borle, and was created by Theresa Rebeck, who also wrote the pilot. According to the producers, the stage adaptation will also see its characters attempting to mount a Marilyn Monroe musical called Bombshell, but will “depart liberally from the series.”
Although Smash only ran for two seasons and 32 episodes beginning in 2012, the Grammy-nominated series developed a cult following thanks largely to its music. A Broadway adaption was first announced in 2020, but specific news on its premiere was delayed by the pandemic.
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