Broadway Musical Smash Announces Final Performance

The new Broadway musical, inspired by the NBC television series of the same name in 2012, has announced its final performance. The production, which cost $20 million to produce, will close on June 22 after 32 preview and 84 regular performances at the Imperial Theater in New York City.

Background and Reception

Although it received two Tony Award nominations, for the choreography of Joshua Bergasse and Brooks Ashmanskas as the best featured actor, it left the ceremony empty-handed on Sunday evening. Not only that, but Smash also had no performance slot during the nationally broadcast TV ceremony, which means that the audience had no opportunity to take a look at the show and possibly buy a ticket.

Before the Tony Awards, the production had difficulty finding an audience. For the week of June 8, Smash played its eight-show week to only a 66% capacity, leaving many seats empty. Reviews were mixed, with The New York Times’ Jesse Green giving it a critic’s pick and applauding it as "the great musical comedy that nobody saw," while Megan Massaron of TheaterMania called it "the hottest mess on Broadway."

Comparison to the TV Series

Smash borrowed music and choreography from the television series, with many of the same songs and dance movements used in the stage adaptation. Tony, Emmy, and two-time Grammy winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman wrote 24 songs for the TV program, many of which are used in the stage adaptation, along with new material. Choreographer Bergasse used many of the dance movements that he created for the TV series, which earned him an Emmy, in the Broadway production.

However, the characters and plotlines differ dramatically from their TV counterparts. The NBC series was created by Theresa Rebeck, who left after the first season and was not involved in the Broadway production. The script by Bob Martin and Rick Elice was written specifically for the Broadway stage.

Plot and Characters

The musical follows the two main characters of the TV series, Ivy Lynn (played by Robyn Hurder) and Karen Cartwright (Caroline Bowman), but with different circumstances and supporting characters. The plot follows a creative team that creates a Broadway show about Marilyn Monroe and the chaos that ensues when the actress playing the bomb (Hurder’s Ivy Lynn) relies on an acting coach that makes Lynn unprepared during the process.

Fan Reaction

The Broadway production, directed by five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman, left fans of the TV series divided. "The start damn it. Had Bombshell, not Smash," wrote one person on X, referring to the show-within-a-show from the TV series that was loved by fans. "Too much change from the original and without using the TV stars, at least start," said another. The name recognition of the TV series was not enough to save the musical, which will close its doors on June 22.