NBC’s Smash: Original, Convincing, and, Well, Smashing

Last night I attended an early screening of NBC’s musical drama Smash (episode one). The rest of you can check out the show February 6, after you’ve cleaned up the beer and queso from your Superbowl party. Aside from the Broadway community, those of us who showed up last night (maybe 200 total) were the first “real people,” as two of the producers put it, to see the show. So, yay, Chicago! Here’s a quick rundown of how this all worked…

Free tickets to the event (along with free popcorn/soda) were promoted via Twitter and Facebook by Broadway in Chicago (it pays to tweet, y’all). To secure a good seat, audience members lined up two hours before the first-come, first-serve screening. Yeah, I was there early too, using my time wisely to catch up on three weeks’ worth of Entertainment Weekly. The press showed up as well, shining their gigantic lights and cameras in our faces and soliciting canned cheers to accompany their footage.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, two of Smash‘s executive producers, spoke briefly before the screening. They informed us that this project, created and helmed by Steven Spielberg (yeah, that one), has been in the works for twelve years. A “huge fan of Broadway musicals,” Spielberg apparently wanted to portray “an upstairs/downstairs look at the theatrical genre” for the small screen. Long story short: more than a decade later, some calls were made, meetings were scheduled, and in the middle of filming War Horse (2011), Smash was born.

Zadan and Meron continued to talk to the audience, first getting the Glee comparisons out of the way — “Yes, we thank God for Ryan Murphy. Without him, we wouldn’t be here. That show broke down the barrier for musicals on TV. But this is really nothing like Glee.” Then, the two proudly explained that Smash is the “first series on television with original music”; well, they mean “original lyrical songs/numbers written for certain scenes/characters.” Finally, we learn that a “theatrical DNA is associated with the show.” Indeed, many people in the Broadway community — writers, lyricists, actors, dancers, etc. — are lending their talents to the program and, moreover, Zaden assured us that Smash will not shoot anywhere but in New York City.

The lights dim, and Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee), a midwestern girl who dreams of making it on the Broadway stage, sings “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (no spoilers; it’s in the trailer). Sure, Judy Garland’s song speaks to youthful aspirations, so it fits nicely here as a cold open. But it’s also the track that arguably garnered McPhee her runner-up position in season five of American Idol and what Simon Cowell labeled “the single best performance in the competition to date.” Nice going, playwright/screenwriter Theresa Rebeck; we’re making meaning already.

Here are some other things I jotted down as I watched. NOTE: There’s some direct quoting as well as a tiny description of mise-en-scene, so if you want to go into Smash all virginal-like, please bypass these bullet points:

• As songwriter Julia Houston (Debra Messing) scans a newspaper for upcoming Broadway musicals, she complains about “all the revivals and remakes out there” and wonders “why doesn’t anyone do originals anymore?” Our audience nods in unity as if to say, “Yeah, girl. Preach.” Contradiction of the night: In the Q&A that followed the screening, Zaden and Meron promote their own musical How To Succeed in Business without Really Trying (featuring Darren Criss and Nick Jonas), which is itself a revival from performances in 1961 and 1995.
• Debra Messing, why so many scarves? Morning, noon, bedtime: nothing but scarves. Is your character that cold?
• Echoing other primetime shows like NBC’s Up All Night and ABC’s Work It, married women are the ones working here; men are jobless househusbands. Sign of the times…
• While I enjoyed watching both actors/characters, I’m not a fan of pitting a blonde woman (Megan Hilty) against a brunette (McPhee); that’s such an old standby.
• Crosscutting full-out performances with try-outs/rehearsals, the numbers for Marilyn (the Musical) are expertly shot, humorously written, and clearly conceived by Broadway professionals (Joshua Bergasse and Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman from Hairspray and Movin’ Out). The numbers are not forced into the story (as Glee‘s often are), and they carry with them just enough playfulness and innuendo to keep you wanting more. (Read more about the concept of the show and Marilyn here.)
• In Megan Hilty, I was delighted to see such a fit and vivacious dancer with actual curves, legs, and boobs — none of this Natalie Portman/Black Swan emaciated crap (yeah, I know it’s musical theatre, not ballet. Still, it’s nice to see.). Hilty (above) plays Ivy Lynn, a Broadway veteran competing with McPhee’s character for the role of Marilyn.
• The vocals were a little overproduced in spots, but again, not nearly as noticeably as Glee‘s.
• There was one integrated number at the end; the rest were backstage treatments.

After a round of applause and some hoots and hollers, the two producers along with native Chicagoan Brian d’Arcy James, who plays Frank Houston (jobless husband to Messing’s character), returned to the stage for questions. Much of what they covered may be found in press releases about Smash. For example, season one will end with Marilyn (the Musical)‘s opening out of town; if there is a season two, the musical will go to Broadway. The show was cast traditionally, with an audition process, and no, at this time, they are not looking for more cast members. Last, the title of the show derives from Variety‘s term “smash hit” as well as the notion of collision, which is invariable in the world of theatre and life.

Well, that’s it for now. Looking forward to seeing others’ reactions on February 6…

Cute Smash propaganda

TV on the big screen

Producers Zadan and Meron alongside Brian d'Arcy James

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