Smash!

I’m sure since I’ve made no secret of being a big fan of Broadway musical, it is no surprise I watched the premiere episode of “Smash,” NBC’s new drama. What did I think?

I loved it! Surprise, surprise, right? The story is about the making of a Broadway musical, from inspiration—an assistant suggests Marilyn Monroe to composer-lyricist team Tom and Julia (Christian Borle and Debra Messing). And they start the ball rolling, despite Julia’s promise to her husband (Brian d’Arcy-James) that she would take the year off so they could adopt a baby. Meanwhile, Tom asks one of the chorus girls in his and Julia’s latest show, Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty), to sing a demo song. Which the assistant inadvertently ends up leaking to the internet.

It catches fire as a prominent producer (Anjelica Huston) wishes to back the show. She wants the hottest director-choreographer to work on the show, Derek (Jack Davenport). Once upon a time, though, Derek and Tom worked together and it wasn’t good. But Eileen (Huston) convinces Tom and Julia to let Derek audition for them. While he is insulted he has to audition, he agrees to do one number for Eileen. So Derek choreographs the baseball number they’ve created for Marilyn’s relationship with Yankee great Joe DiMaggio (“The National Pastime”). And, once again, Ivy Lynn plays Marilyn.

Everyone loves Derek’s work though Tom is loathe to admit it. So, they start auditioning Marilyns. Tom really wants Ivy Lynn to play the role, so she comes in for an audition. But she suffers from a case of the nerves and throws up in the bathroom. So Katharine McPhee—named Karen Cartwright in this—gets to audition next, singing Christina Aguilera’s “Beautiful.” She impresses Julia and Derek, though Tom isn’t as sold. He still wants Ivy Lynn, so both girls get a call back audition.

A word about Karen—she is the Midwesterner who was a star in high school and is now trying to pursue her dream. She’s Rachel Berry without the ego. And the supportive parents. Well, they are supportive—they believe their daughter is talented. But they are also realists. They want her to move back home and get a real job. And marry her boyfriend, Dev. He works in the mayor’s office and is very supportive of Karen’s dream.

We also get a glimpse to Ivy Lynn’s reality. She calls her mom to tell her the good news. She’s going to play Marilyn. Well, she has to do a callback, but she’s going to play Marilyn. Mom isn’t too thrilled. Seems her own job isn’t going so well and doesn’t have time to rejoice over her daughter’s achievement.

Karen is surprised when Derek calls her over to his apartment before the callback. He wants to “mentor” her and Karen soon realizes he means “have sex with” her. She teases him but then says “Never gonna happen.” And leaves.

The episode ends with Ivy Lynn and Karen dressing up as Marilyn and going to their callback auditions. They sing “Let Me Be Your Star” as they run though New York City. The two arrive at the auditions with Eileen, Derek, Tom and Julia. The screen goes to black as the song ends.

Well, that turned into a longer recap than I expected. I had only planned to write a brief summary of the episode. Playbill's Recap is a good supplement to read for little theatre trivia.

A friend on an internet forum made a comment about how I will watch anything musical related. I agreed. And I’m liking this one. I’ve seen Christian Borle in both Spamalot and Legally Blonde the Musical. I rooted for Elizabeth to choose Davenport’s Norrington in “Pirates of the Caribbean.” I loved Debra Messing in “The Starter Wife.” And it’s Anjelica Huston!

I am a little curious about the set up. Of course they need a good rivalry, which Derek and Tom seem to be as well as Karen and Ivy Lynn. But the thing is that composers have written for specific stars all the time. And if Julia and Tom are as well known as they seem to be, I wonder if they wouldn’t have more clout to hire Ivy Lynn.

Right now, I’m torn between which team I’m on, but I am leaning Team Karen. How about you?