Smash: The Dramaturg

In this episode Eileen tells Julia and Tom that she has hired a dramaturg to help Julia rework the script. Julia immediately freaks out, and the freaking-out continues through the whole episode. This does nothing to help Julia's likability in this show. It does, however, introduce a new character, whom we know will eventually become a love interest for Julia. It's too bad that by that time we probably won't care about Julia anymore anyway. Also, I've never heard of anyone in the theatre actually being scared of a dramaturg, but that's just me. I've only dealt with dramaturgs who help to clarify things in a script, historically and culturally, not actually rewrite a script.

It's great to see Ivy moving on from Bombshell and finding success. That girl has talent, and she deserves the chance to show it. Karen, on the other hand, is going back and forth between Bombshell and another new musical that she's never read a script for. Because there isn't a script yet. Sound familiar?

Observations:

Karen made a demo of one of Jimmy and Kyle's songs pretty quickly. Where did they get the money to make a professional sounding demo?

Karen tells Derek that he doesn't see a musical in what he's heard of Jimmy and Kyle's show because he's only heard the songs. That's the way it is with us (the audience) and Bombshell. All we've heard are the songs. How do we know there's really a musical in there. Although, the songs are pretty good. I would really like to see scenes with no music.

Derek tells Karen it takes years for a new musicals to develop, yet Bombshell has gone from conception to workshop to out-of-town tryout, and almost to Broadway in one year. Hmm. Are they trying to get some kind of realism here?

Karen has an awful lot of faith in a musical she's never seen the book for. Could it be the because of the composer. Hmm.

Why wouldn't Eileen trust Julia with her own script. Julia has written multiple Broadway shows, and it doesn't sound like she's ever had someone brought in to help her with her scripts before.

I love the song "Home" from The Wiz, and it's nice to  hear a snippet from it by Jennifer Hudson.

IBDB - Internet Broadway Database. It's the IMDB for the theatre.

Can't Julia be happy about anything? I thought that the writers would make her more likable. If they're trying, it isn't working. She's even more unlikable than last season.

Peter needs some bookshelves in his apartment.

Peter mentions that the songs in Bombshell are good, it's just the script that needs help. I agree that the majority of the songs are good, but I find it funny that a character has to keep reminding us that the songs are good, but the script is bad.

I think that the film, Dangerous Liasons, was based on the book as well as the fictional musical they're talking about. So, I think it's funny that they make that distinction. I know that  they are trying to say that the fictional musical isn't based on the movie, but it's funny that Ivy says that.

Julia has become very rude. She walks into Eileen's office and starts yelling at her while Eileen is on the phone. I'm just liking her less and less. Come on - make her likable. Debra Messing can play a likable character, I've seen it.

Why is Julia even angrier when she finds out that Peter saw the musical in Boston? If someone were going to help me with my script, I'd be happier if they had actually seen a production of it. And then Eileen says that she didn't tell her because she wanted it to be Julia's idea to get help with her script. Julia didn't even think of having a script doctor come in to help her. Eileen just hired him without any mention of it from Julia, so how would Eileen think Julia would come up with the idea on her own?

This show was Julia and Tom's show from the beginning. It was their concept, and their work. Can Eileen really push Julia out like that? Well, I guess the producers can. Just look at Julie Taymor with Spider-man, Turn off the Dark. Julie was fired. But she was the director. I don't know if she was also the writer of the book.

Karen's vocals for "They Just Keep Moving the Line" didn't match her facial expressions in the rehearsal. You can tell it's prerecorded. She even keeps lip-syncing when the vocal track stops. Very bad editing. I feel like good singers should be able to do their vocals live. It is a rehearsal, after all. It doesn't have to be perfect.

And now Julia is interrupting Peter's dinner with his friends. She yells at him in the middle of the restaurant. Maybe she's on the verge of a nervous breakdown. If not, she's just rude!

Okay, this is one of the things that bugs me about modern entertainment. The writers think that the way to "fix" a script is to just put more sex in it. A really good writer would concentrate on character, not just slap a bunch of sex in it.

I'm not sure I like the choreography for "They Just Keep Moving the Line." I think that Ivy's performance of it in the last episode just standing still was great, and having Karen moving around all of these dancers changing their positions around her just doesn't fit the song. It works well during Ivy's song, "I Keep Dancing on My Own,"  but just not with the original song.

Boy, that's gutsy of Karen to tell Derek she doesn't think he knows what he wants for the number. And she says it in front of the cast. That kind of mouthing off to the director could get an actor fired from a show. Oh, but this is Karen. She's part of the creative team, and Derek's muse. She can say anything she wants, whenever she wants.

Here's a mystery: Who is the guy who beat Jimmy up?

Really? Derek is going to let Julia hijack his rehearsal to do brand new number no one has seen before, that hasn't been rehearsed when he knows a producer is coming to see his work? I don't think so. Maybe Derek really doesn't want the job to direct The Wiz.

I don't really like the JFK song. It's not one of the best songs I've heard in the show.

I would like to have seen Ivy's audition. If it was great enough for her to get the part over more established actresses, I'm curious to know how it went.

Is Tom going to become a director? That would be a great plot line.

Karen just ran into the street in her costume? What stage manager would let her do that? And her hair is perfect after just taking her wig off. She would have had a wig cap on her head; you don't just squish your hair up under a wig.

Veronica wants to do a "one night only" concert. Small reference to Dreamgirls. The movie musical Jennifer Hudson won an Oscar for. How fitting.

Kyle tells Derek that the opening number of their musical has a lot of exposition. I want to hear that song.

The Hit List could be a musical about Taylor Swift.

Derek tells Jimmy and Kyle that he thinks their musical has aspects of Hamlet, A Star is Born and Romeo and Juliet. Okay, maybe I get the Romeo and Juliet part (the rich girl and poor boy), but I didn't hear any Hamlet or A Star is Born in there. Did they say that the lead's stepfather was his uncle, who murdered his father, then married his mother? Or that the boy is successful and then, as the girl's star rises, the boy's starts to descend? I just wonder how well the writers know those two stories. And then Kyle says that there's a bit of Moulin Rouge. Well, Jimmy did say that everyone dies in the end. Oh, there's where we get Hamlet. *wink*

It looks like Derek might lose his muse. I think Karen wants to be someone else's muse now.

Quotes:

Derek: It's a good song, so what. All their songs are good. If they had an album, I'd buy it. Maybe. But I'm a director of musicals. And there's no musical here.

Derek: Producers rarely have vision. That's why they need us to show it to them.

Julia: A man who makes his living feeding off the work of other writers without creating anything of his own is not a shepherd. He's a parasite.
[Peter walks up to Julia and Tom]
Peter: Hi, I'm Peter. The parasite.

Peter: Dramaturgs are like dentists. No one ever wants to see them, but once the pain wears off, you're always glad you went.

Jimmy: Don't worry about us. One shot's all we need.

Julia: Why don't you just give me your thoughts, since you seem to have a lot.

Julia: We had standing ovations every night.
Peter: It was Boston.

Julia: Is there anything you liked?
Peter (pause): I think Marilyn Monroe is an interesting subject for a musical.

Karen: I was starting to think I'd never be Marilyn again.
Derek: I wouldn't let that happen.
(Uh, it's not up to you, Derek, unless you have millions of dollars to invest in the show yourself.)

Tom: We just haven't found [your character] yet. And by "we" I mean you.

Tom: So, who is Cecile at the start? She's innocent.
Ivy: Unbroken.
Tom: Mm hmm. Untouched. Floating through a life that's, uh...
Ivy: Preordained.
Tom: Secretly waiting for something... anything to pull her out of it.
Ivy: Sounds like Karen Cartwright.
Tom: Be nice.
Ivy: Sorry.

Ivy: She's Marilyn.

Tom: I wish you could see my face. I'm grinning like an ape.

Ivy: You understand style and intention. And you know how to get the best out of people without torturing them. That's no small thing.
Tom: Art without torture. I don't think it's possible.

Derek: Hello again, Jimmy. I'm Derek. I like your work. Sorry I was a bit busy earlier. Plus, I'm not a huge fan of uninvited guests in my rehearsal room.