“Smash,” a backstage musical about the making of a Marilyn Monroe musical called “Bombshell,” will open at Broadway’s Imperial Theater on April 10, its producers announced today, a long-teased meta theatrical moment, since the show is inspired by the TV series of the same name that ran in 2012 and 2013.
The show, which will begin performances on March 10, will feature music by Marc Shaiman; with lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman, a book by Rick Elice & Bob Martin, choreography by Joshua Bergasse, and direction by Susan Stroman
Top three photos from Smash the TV series: Megan Hilty as Ivy, choreographer Joshua Bergasse (who will also choreograph the Broadway musical), Ann Harada as the stage manager.
Broadway cast members: Robyn Harder next to the Smash logo; left to right at bottom: Krysta Rodriguez, Kristine Nielsen, Brooks Ashmanskas, Caroline Bowman.
The only TV cast member to be in the cast on Broadway is Krysta Rodriguez, and she’s portraying a character with a different name. The character of Ivy, the actress who portrayed Marilyn Monroe, and was portrayed in the series by Megan Hilty, will be performed by Robyn Harder, who is best-known for her Tony-nominated performance of “Nini” in the original Broadway cast of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
Other cast members: Brooks Ashmanskas as “Nigel,” Krysta Rodriguez as “Tracy,” John Behlmann as “Jerry,” Kristine Nielsen as “Susan,” Caroline Bowman as “Karen,” Jacqueline B. Arnold as “Anita,” Bella Coppola as “Chloe,” Casey Garvin as “Charlie.”
To remind you what a sensation the TV show caused when it premiered a dozen years, here are some posts
The first is ironic on several levels: Slings and Arrows Returns! Smash, Move Aside is an interview in June 2012 with Bob Martin, the co-creator of “Slings and Arrows” about how they were doing a fourth season of the backstage TV series about a Shakespeare festival much like Canada’s Stratford Festival. This didn’t pan out — but Bob Martin is now one of the co-writers of the libretto for “Smash” the Broadway musical!
