Editor's Review

Smash

(July 15th, 2011.)               Christian Borle (Legally Blonde: The Musical), Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Katharine McPhee (American Idol), Megan Hilty (9 to 5: The Musical), Anjelica Huston (Prizzi’s Honor), Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean 1 - 3) star in the one hour drama series Smash, coming to NBC as a mid-season replacement.

"Smash" is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire, to be a "Smash." The series centers on a desire to create a Broadway musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, written by the successful song writing duo of Tom (Borle) and Julia (Messing). Julia recently began the process of adopting a child with her husband of many years, but her focus is torn when she has the opportunity to write another Broadway hit. A rivalry soon forms for the lead role between a youthful, inexperienced Midwestern beauty (McPhee), who is trying to find fame in the big city against all odds, and a stage veteran (Hilty), who's determined to leave the chorus line and finally get her big break. A tenacious producer Eileen (Huston) discovers the "Marilyn" project and jumps on board with a brilliant director (Davenport), whose talent is matched by his cunning and egocentric amorality.

The series stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg (ER, Schindler’s List). The pilot was written by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius, NYPD Blue). Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning Chicago, Hairspray) and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (United States of Tara, The Borgias) will also serve as executive producers. Original songs are written by Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can), who also serve as executive producers. The pilot was directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot).

If it were not for the big names attached to this project, in particular Steven Spielberg, it would not be getting much attention at all. Insider films that offer a look behind the scenes of a film, television show, or in this case a play, are not often met with much enthusiasm. The completed products of the creative process are usually much more interesting than the process of making them. Witnessing the nuts and bolts of bringing a Broadway play to the stage may hold the attention of a small segment of the audience for a few episodes. But I have to say that the only thing duller than auditions, is watching staged auditions. Likewise, the process of writing a script or a song is nowhere near as interesting as experiencing the final product.

The pilot episode of this series moves very slowly, as characters and the start of a plot are revealed. While the characters and the setting are at least mildly interesting, there was no big hook to draw me in to this series, or these characters. Yes, they create a little suspense by asking us to wonder who will be the final choice for the lead role in the play that is under production, but that alone will not keep a television audience coming back week after week. Without a significant increase in the drama and the suspense, this effort will quickly follow the thousands of other hopefuls that could not make a go of it on Broadway.

I had an attraction to Anjelica Houston's character, but I soon found myself comparing her to character to performances by Glenn Close in 101 Dalmatians and Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada. Perhaps there really is people like this working on Broadway, but we need this character to move in a fresh direction. If she does not go somewhere new, her character will not remain interesting for long.

            I give this drama credit for going somewhere new, but that is dangerous ground. If they quickly step up the action with more singing and dancing, while giving us several sub-plots to follow among the cast, this effort could find an audience. If episode two continues to move as slowly as episode one, that will spell trouble for this series.

            The hurdle this series must overcome, is that they can never deliver the final payoff, the completed Broadway show, to the audience. Once they do, the series is done. The drama is over. So the question is how many episodes will viewers watch before they leave in frustration at never being rewarded for their loyalty? It will be a tough transition to season two, if they make it that far.  

 

 - Editor