Smash: Pilot

Finally, a show for me and mine. I've been looking forward to this show for so long, and I was afraid I would be disappointed. I am happy to say I was not.
 
Smash takes an inside look at the making of a Broadway musical. I've created a musical that has been produced. It hasn't gone to Broadway. Yet. I've auditioned for musicals (and plays). I've cast musicals as a director. I feel like I know so much about this world. I just haven't done it in New York City. Yet.
 
Smash is what Glee wants to be when it grows up. The baseball production number is what some Glee numbers have been in the past, but they seem to miss the mark lately. The number was fun, and well written. The dancers were great, as was the choreography. And Megan Hilty's performance as Ivy playing Marilyn was a home run.
 
Speaking of Megan, for as much publicity that Katherine McPhee (Karen) is getting, I would say that, although she is likable, and there's no doubt she can sing, this is entirely Megan Hilty's show.
 
The rest of the cast is great too. Debra Messing plays Julia, the second half of a composer/lyricist team. She still has a little of her manic personality like she did in Will and Grace, it's just a bit more controlled, and focused toward writing musicals - my kind of manic. Jack Davenport as Derek, the director, is great at being a bit likable, and then turning on the sleaze. When Karen goes to his apartment and makes a move on her, and it looks like she’s walking out, I thought, “Good for you, you're leaving!”  When she didn’t leave, but came out of the bathroom wearing almost nothing but his shirt I wanted to yell at her and say, "Don't stoop to that!" But then, when she told him, “Not gonna happen,” I thought, "Good for you!" You just didn’t need to do it in that skimpy shirt showing your bra.

The Broadway actors are great. Brian d'Arcy James plays Julia’s husband and Christian Borle plays Tom, the other half of the composer/lyricist team. Brian has been in many Broadway productions, most recently playing the title role in Shrek. He was also in Titanic (the musical, not James Cameron's tear-fest). He has a wonderful singing voice and I hope we'll hear him sing in future episodes. Christian was in Legally Blonde and Spamalot. I also have a new favorite actor: Raza Jaffrey (playing Karen’s boyfriend, Dev). He was in MI-5 (aka, Spooks, in England), and he’s done a lot of theatre in London. I want to see more of him! When Karen imagined she was singing to him in her audition for the Marilyn role, I thought, that will get you through, girl.

Angelica Huston plays Eileen, the producer. She didn’t have much to do this episode other than fight with her soon-to-be ex-husband over what she’ll get in the divorce, and then try to convince Julia and Tom to look at Derek to direct the workshop of the musical. I like Angelica, and I’m looking forward to seeing more of her.

Judging by the musical numbers, the show is taking a lot from Rob Marshall’s Chicago-style of musical. Most of the numbers will be in the characters’ imaginations. I like that because it can lead to more over-the-top production numbers. And I am so looking forward to all of the original songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Whitman (Hairspray).

I’m so glad they are filming the show in New York City. I’m sure it will be a nice boost for NYC tourism. Watching Derek and Eileen walking in Times Square, the city seemed to say, “Don’t you want to be here?” They could have called the show, Theatre and the City.

 Observations:

The opening with the audition was great, and took us into the world of the theatre immediately. However, no director should ever, and I repeat EVER, have their cell phone on when they are in auditions! I feel very strongly about that. It’s so disrespectful.

I love Julia and Frank's Brownstone. I want it.

I didn’t particularly like Karen’s observation that you can’t be sexy and fat. Did these writers even look at Marilyn Monroe? She was not a size 2, or 4, or even 6. As sexy as she was, in today’s world she would not have been considered skinny.

It’s so cliché that every wanna-be actor has parents who don’t support them in their dream. For every non-supportive parent I’ll bet there are 10 supportive parents.

Watching the first wanna-be Marilyn auditioning, hearing the director's response, “Thank you. That’s great, uh, Lisa,” and seeing the auditioner leaving the room upset, brought to mind every insecurity I’ve ever had at an audition.

After hearing Katherine McPhee sing “Beautiful” at her Marilyn audition, and seeing the response of the production team, I can’t believe that Karen got the response she did at the audition at the top of the episode. With her voice, she would have at least gotten a callback, I would think. Or maybe she just sang the wrong song? .

Everything happens so quickly. They get the idea, and the next thing you know, they have a rough draft of the script, the first song is written, a demo is made, a producer wants in, a big production number is written, a director has choreographed that number to audition to direct the workshop, and auditions AND callbacks are held. How do I get in on that timeline?

I’m not sure that Marilyn: The Musical is such an original idea. I’ll bet there’s a writer (or writers) out there who has started (or has written) a Marilyn musical thinking, “No! That’s my idea!”

Given that Marilyn Monroe was not a good singer (especially not a musical theatre singer), I’d rather that songs sung by “Marilyn,” the character, be sung more like the actress herself, not by the actress pretending to sing like Marilyn. Case in point: did you hear Ivy belt the first song they were going to demo? I liked that so much better than the breathy “Marilyn” singing she did in the actually demo.

Did I say I love Julia and Frank's Brownstone? Well, I do.

Quote:

Ivy: I'm not complaining.
Tom: Just dreaming.
Ivy: Like everybody.