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‘Smash’ becoming musical on Broadway

By Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
Published: May 31, 2020, 5:55am

“Smash” lasted only two seasons on NBC. But it was announced Thursday morning that the variously reviled and adored television show about the cutthroat world of Broadway musicals is to become a Broadway musical itself.

Like the TV show, which ran from 2012-13, the planned musical will involve the producers Steven Spielberg, Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron. And the score will be penned by the Broadway veterans Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who presumably will draw from some of the 24 songs they wrote for the small-screen version of “Smash,” a road-to-Broadway drama that imagined two competitive actors, played by Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty, fighting each other for the chance to play the lead role in a musical about Marilyn Monroe.

Shot in New York, the TV show used a variety of Broadway personalities, from actors like Christian Borle to columnists like Michael Riedel. But the musical, which has neither a theater nor a firm date, will also use additional talents to ease its transition to Broadway.

The musical’s book will be co-written by Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone”) and Rick Elice (“Jersey Boys,” “Peter and the Starcatcher”). The choreographer Joshua Bergasse, who worked on the TV show to often spectacular effect, will reprise that role for the stage musical.

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