TV Review: "Smash"

Hi everyone!

With two episodes left to go and a soundtrack album released this week, the first season of NBC's much-hyped backstage Broadway musical drama "Smash" is coming to a close. For those of you who haven't been watching, "Smash" tells the story of the intersecting lives and loves of a colorful cast of characters, all of whom are involved in the development and production of a new Broadway musical biography about the life of Marilyn Monroe, recently titled "Bombshell." While far from perfect, I argue that it is one of the freshest and most entertaining shows currently airing on network television and I was happy to hear that NBC has indeed picked it up for a second season.

The cast is filled with Broadway, television, and Hollywood veterans. Ivy and Karen (played by Megan Hilty and American Idol winner Katherine McPhee) are a pair of dueling divas both intent on winning the prized role of Marilyn. Ivy is a Broadway chorus girl looking to step out from the chorus into the spotlight. Karen is a Midwestern transplant hoping to make her Broadway dreams come true.  "Bombshell" is directed by temperamental British director Derek, played by British actor Jack Davenport, who has a predilection for bedding his show's stars. Debra Messing, best-known as Grace in the long-running sitcom "Will and Grace" and Christian Borle, current star of the multi-Tony nominated play "Peter and the Starcatcher" play Julie and Tom, longtime writing partners and the authors of "Bombshell's" script, music, and lyrics. Anjelica Huston appears as Eileen, the show's much put-upon producer, and British television (MI-5) and West End veteran Raza Jaffrey co-stars as Karen's boyfriend Dev.

While the show has been criticized by theatre purists for being unrealistic in its depiction of what it takes to get a new Broadway musical produced--despite multiple setbacks, "Bombshell" has evolved from workshop to out-of-town tryouts in rapid time--"Smash" succeeds in portraying the love, sweat, and tears of anyone who has ever been involved in live theatre. With a catchy score written by Tony award-winning Broadway composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me if You Can") and directed and choreographed by Michael Mayer ("Spring Awakening") and other Broadway alum, one can only hope that "Bombshell: The Musical" will one day actually make it onto a real Broadway stage.

Among this impressive crew, the true standout for me is Debra Messing. While best known for her comedic roles, Ms. Messing brings depth and a poignancy to her role as Julia, particularly in the plot line revolving around the seeming disintegration of her marriage in the aftermath of her affair with "Bombshell's" Joe DiMaggio as she and her husband (another Broadway veteran Brian d'Arcy James) attempt to adopt a child. Ms. Messing's best moments are the quiet ones where she deals with her emotional turmoil in trying to keep her family together while admitting her mistakes. This is a far cry from anything I've seen Ms. Messing do in her long career and it should earn her a much-deserved Emmy nomination.

Another recent standout has been Uma Thurman who arrived relatively late to the party as Hollywood starlet turned Broadway bombshell Rebecca Duvall. I've always found Ms. Thurman an interesting talent though I've never particularly cared for any of her films. In her role as Rebecca, the 'star' cast as Marilyn after "Bombshell's" disastrous workshop, Ms. Thurman brings a subtle combination of comedy and insecurity to her role that is always entertaining and, especially lately, not wholly unsympathetic.

I've read that changes are in the works for season two with apparently less focus on the backstage Broadway storyline and more on the soap opera. This is a shame because, for me anyway, what makes "Smash" so different to anything on television is its focus on a world/industry rarely seen in television or film. With the much-reported departure of lead producer and writer Theresa Rebeck (currently represented on Broadway with her critically-acclaimed play "Seminar"), I can only hope the overall quality, look, and theme of the show is replicated in season two. We'll have to see.

One aspect that I would like to see removed (or at least tweaked) is the inclusion of contemporary pop songs in the show's score. The Broadway stuff works really well within the context of the production of "Bombshell." What works less well are the songs Ivy and Karen break into in moments of character reflection. While Ms. McPhee's version of "Touch Me" (the opening track on the soundtrack album) is pretty darn hot, the treacly emotive ballads that tend to dominant fare less well and stick out for being of lesser quality than the rest of the production. Despite what many have said, "Smash" is not an adult version of "Glee." It's a tighter, slicker, and more mature endeavor than Fox's once-hot high school musical. Keep the music as part of "Bombshell" but outside of the stage and rehearsal studio, we don't need to hear covers of B-level pop music regardless of the considerable appeal of Ms. McPhee's and Ms. Hilty's voices. That's just my opinion.

As I said, "Smash" season one is ending in two weeks with "Bombshell" about to open its out-of-town tryout in Boston. Does the show hit Broadway? Who ends up playing the coveted role of Marilyn? It's anyone's guess and that's what keeps us watching.

Ciao.