A PLATE OF MASHED SMASH
Let me be clear. I never saw the television series Smash. I know nothing about the series other than that it focused on a community theater working on a show about the life of Marilyn Monroe. So I had no expectations when I arrived at the Imperial Theatre to see the new musical based on it. In other words I could judge the show on its own merits.
Robyn Hurder and the cast (Matthew Murphy)
Directed by Susan Stroman, Smash has a stellar cast, every one of whom can belt; some excellent if somewhat repetitive songs (music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman); and flashy but not very original choreography by Joshua Bergasse. Beowulf Borrit lives up to his reputation in his simple but effective sets. However, book writers Bob Martin and Rick Elice’s attempts at farce depend mostly on stereotypical characters and insider jokes.
Krysta Rodriguez and John Behlmann (Matthew Murphy)
The real Marilyn Monroe is mostly lost in Smash. There are references to Monroe’s wind-blown dress, her singing “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” to John F. Kennedy and her marriage to Arthur Miller (although the show gets some of the facts wrong: Miller’s father was an immigrant; his mother was a native New Yorker, and they lived in Midwood, not Flatbush). But any other diva would have suited the purposes of this musical just as well.
Nicholas Matos, Jacqueline B. Arnold, John Behlmann, Krysta Rodriguez,
Bella Coppola, Brooks Ashmanskas, and Kristine Nielsen (Matthew Murphy)
Smash is a backstage comedy in the vein of 42nd Street or The Producers. But the story line has so many threads that the show keeps unraveling while the cast tries valiantly to keep it together.
Robyn Hurder and the cast (Matthew Murphy)
Diva Ivy Lynn (Robyn Hurder) has been cast as Marilyn Monroe. She’s doing a good job and getting along with everyone during rehearsals until one of the writers gives her a book on Method acting. Ivy heads off to The Actors Studio and hires Susan Proctor (over-the-top Kristine Nielsen) who becomes her mentor and the show’s nemesis.
Megan Kane, Brooks Ashmanskas, Robyn Hurder, Kristine Nielsen,
Krysta Rodriguez, and John Behlmann (Matthew Murphy)
Proctor counsels Ivy to become Marilyn, temperamental and undependable, offstage as well as on. This infuriates Nigel (the very campy Brooks Ashmanskas) a flamboyantly gay theater veteran. It causes additional problems for the fractious married couple Tracy (Krysta Rodriguez) and Jerry (John Behlmann) who are writing and rewriting the musical, especially when Jerry turns to drink to buoy his flagging spirits.
Robyn Hurder and cast (Paul Kolnik)
Even worse, Ivy’s behavior causes conflict between her understudy, the hardworking cupcake-baking Karen (Caroline Bowman), and associate director, Chloe (Bella Coppola), when Chloe steps in for the ailing Karen. The understudy couldn’t take over in the rehearsal for invited friends, because she’d accidently eaten a cupcake her husband, Charlie (Casey Garvin), the actor playing Joe DiMaggio, had laced with horse laxative in the expectation Ivy would eat it.
Robyn Hurder, Caroline Bowman, and Bella Coppola (Matthew Murphy)
In the meantime, Anita (Jacqueline B. Arnold) the producer, is getting jittery as the play is destructing and Scott (Nicholas Matos), her inexperienced but tech savvy intern, reports fluctuating enthusiasm on the internet.
And all this is just the first act!
Caroline Bowman (Karen) and the cast (Matthew Murphy)
Fortunately, no one really expects a logical conclusion with this kind of plot. And the audience doesn’t get one. Suffice it to say, justice prevails. Friendships are renewed. And some kind of show goes on.
Krysta Rodriguez, Brooks Ashmanskas, John Behlmann,
Nicholas Matos and Jacqueline B. Arnold (Paul Kolnik)
For all its faults, Smash does have some entertaining, frivolous moments in serious times. But in trying to juggle Broadway razzle-dazzle, meta-theater mayhem, and a wink at Marilyn Monroe’s legacy, it ends up dropping more balls than it catches. Still, thanks to a game cast and some genuinely funny bits, it mostly sticks the landing… or at least lands with a smile.
artwork photo by Jason Bell
John Behlmann, Krysta Rodriguez, Jacqueline B. Arnold, Brooks Ashmanskas,
Robyn Hurder, Caroline Bowman, Bella Coppola, and Nicholas Matos (Matthew Murphy)
Smash
Imperial Theatre, 249 West 45th St
2 hours 30 minutes
opened Thursday, April 10, 2025
on sale through January 2026
for tickets, visit Smash
Robyn Hurder and Brooks Ashmanskas (Paul Kolnik)
