Smash: Hands Off My Manuscript!

Last week: The President addressed both houses of Congress and the nation.

Two weeks ago: “Smash” returned in grand fashion! Karen is riding high from the praise of her Boston performances while Julia is pretending she didn’t read the reviews which panned her book. Derek introduces Karen to Ronnie Moore AKA Jennifer Hudson, a two-time Tony winner who will be in The Wiz directed by Derek. Until Rebecca Duvall accuses him of sexual harassment. And then six other dancers jump on the bandwagon. And in the meantime, Julia’s marriage finally implodes and Nick’s money flow is investigated. Bombshell is frozen and considered dead in the water. Karen moves into a new apartment and gets a new roommate. She also makes two new friends, Kyle and Jimmy, who are writing a musical. And she wants to help them get to Broadway, even though Jimmy isn’t so thrilled. Eileen saves Bombshell, Ivy finds her love for the theater after some doubts and Julia gives up her scarves.

SMASH!


Karen imagines herself singing in a scene very reminiscent of last season’s episode where Rebecca took her out at night and encourages Karen to sing. But it’s actually one of Jimmy’s songs which Karen is playing again for Derek. She wants him to meet Kyle and Jimmy so they can explain their vision to him. Derek, however, wants to read their book which Karen explains is unfinished. She says he has to hear it from them to understand everything. He isn’t impressed but she gets him to agree to a meeting when he’s free.

Because Derek is also still trying to convince the producers of “The Wiz” to let him be their director. Derek visits Ronnie, who sings part of “Home” for the musical. He looks at some costume designs, most of which would probably be nixed for copyright infringement. Seriously, MGM may not own Dorothy Gale, but it owns the image of a girl in braided pigtail wearing a blue gingham dress. It’s why “Wicked” doesn’t show anyone playing Dorothy. But Ronnie and Derek nix them for being too traditional and virginal. Ronnie says one of the producers will be in town for the next day or so and he should fight to be the director. Derek asks her to bring the producer by Bombshell rehearsals as he’ll be presenting a number to the team.

Meanwhile, Ivy is auditioning for Bernie Tansley. You might remember him from Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for Elle Woods, which I recapped. Ivy asks Bernie if she can audition for another musical, Liasions, especially for Cecile. Bernie says every ingénue on Broadway is auditioning for the role. He even mentions a few but Ivy is persistent. So Bernie asks her if she’s tied to Bombshell and Ivy shakes her head. He gives her an audition. Megan Hilty looked so adorable in these scenes.

Elsewhere, Tom and Julia meet with Eileen. She says that she wants Julia and Tom to work with a dramaturg. They are baffled, as was I. I had heard the term before in my Play Directing class in college but I only learned it in terms of how a dramaturg would help a director. A dramaturg would help research the plays and musicals a theater group or director wants to do. For example, let’s say your group wants to do “South Pacific.” The dramaturg would research major past stagings of the show—Broadway, London, etc.—as well as the creative team. S/he would research the Pacific Theater during World War II and what conditions were like for the soldiers. Fashion trends, popular culture, etc.

So during a commercial break, I went to Google. And it appears a dramaturg has a different role in different companies. One of the roles is to help craft new plays. But I don’t think Daniel Sunjata wants to help craft “Bombshell” as much as he wants to write it. I’m getting ahead of myself. Julia and Tom first meet Daniel, who praises their previous work. He provides them a list of references and gives them time to look it over. They are impressed and surprised with some of the names. Tom is sold; Julia not so much.

But she does go to visit Daniel’s—sorry, Peter’s—apartment to discuss his ideas. And there are a lot of books hanging around this guy’s apartment. Wow. He goes on about how he’s a coffee snob but Julia doesn’t care. She’s too distracted by the post-it notes littering Peter’s copy of “Bombshell.” She’s like “not too many notes, huh?” and “I don’t like coffee. Tea.” Peter’s like “okay” but makes no move to get her something to drink. She asks him about his notes and he says Bombshell needs a lot of work. So Julia asks him to clarify. Peter says that the songs are great but do most of the character development. Julia gives him a look which clearly reads “It’s a musical, dumb-dumb.” But Peter ignores it and ploughs on. He says the script barely scratches the surface and Julia is offended that he called her script shallow. He uses the term “two dimensional.” That’s…not much better, Peter.

Julia tells Peter it was better in Boston and asks if he saw it. He says he didn’t. She tells him if he saw it, he would’ve understood. Peter points out the script should carry its own weight. Julia is still not happy.

As Julia tries not to kill Peter, Ivy pays a visit to Tom. The OBCR of Liasons is out of print and Tom has a copy for her to listen to. He squeals like a fangirl when he learns she’s auditioning for Cecile. Tom gushes that she’d be perfect but she has some doubt. He convinces her she’ll be awesome. It’s the pick-me-up she needed.

Kyle is freaking out over their meeting with Derek. Jimmy is high and thinks Kyle’s predicament is funny. But Kyle is trying to make sense of their show, which is scattered on napkins and bits of paper a la the “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” manuscript. But he’s missing a few scenes. Jimmy remembers the scenes and that they were in a notebook he left in a Place That is Not To Be Mentioned. He offers to go back but Kyle is adamant Jimmy never go back to the Place That is Not to Be Mentioned. Instead, Kyle feels they can just rewrite it from memory. But Jimmy argues it won’t be the same and it won’t be as good. Which is totally true.

So that night, Jimmy goes to the Place That is Not To Be Mentioned and climbs in through a window. He searches through a dresser drawer, finding his notebook. But someone finds him and there’s a fight…during the commercial break.

Karen returns to the rehearsal room as Bombshell lives on. She tells Derek she was afraid she’d never be Marilyn again. He says he’d never let that happen. Mostly due to his brain tumor, which we saw still exists last time with that spontaneous dance number. Anyway, they get back to work. But Derek is back to his mean self and keeps insisting Karen is doing it wrong. She argues with him and rehearsal drags on. Karen has to call Kyle and Jimmy—who is all beaten up so Kyle knows he went back to the Place That is Not To Be Mentioned—to ask for a rain check. Jimmy thinks Karen is jerking them around but Kyle thinks she’s genuine.

Julia goes to talk to Eileen…well, to complain about Peter. But Eileen pretty much says Peter’s staying so Julia better play nice. She reveals Peter saw the show in Boston. Four times. Julia doesn’t know who to kill first: Eileen or Peter. Since Eileen is played by Anjelica Huston, she goes for Peter instead. Julia tracks him down and lets him have it on the street. And he gives it right back. Like how he thinks she focused on DiMaggio because she was in love with Michael Swift. But even then, her writing still lacked heat. Julia argues that she knows heat and that she ruined her marriage for it. She stalks away and tells Tom that they are working all night. He suddenly realizes the downside of having Julia as his roomie.

Bombshell rehearsals. Ivy walks in to ask Derek something but is roped into watching the number. Karen is all “Why is she here?” but Derek says Ivy has a great eye. He has Karen start the number as Ivy starts to have her own musical hallucination moment. She had one last season—“Breakaway,” anyone?—but we could blame it on the drugs. I don’t know what we can blame this one on. As she sings, she focuses on how Derek and Karen interact. Finished, she leaves, unable to stand the sight anymore.

The next day, Tom is yawning while Ivy rehearses her audition scene. He apologizes and explains he got very little sleep. But she says her audition was bad and thinks she shouldn’t go. Tom encourages her and then helps her understand her character. Eventually she realizes Cecile is just like Marilyn. She feels confident about her audition.

Linda calls Tom in for the scene presentation. But it won’t be “Moving the Line” like everyone rehearsed last night. Julia wants them to do the number she and Tom wrote the night before, between Marilyn and JFK. The president seduces the actress through song. At the end, Jimmy applauds. He had decided if Derek wasn’t going to them, he’ll go to Derek. Who asks who Jimmy is and the composer tells him. “Jimmy who?” Derek asks. Jimmy feels this proves his point and storms out, Karen giving chase. No one seems to care the lead actress ran out of rehearsals—with a costume—and praise the new scene. Julia asks Peter what he thinks, which is that is good but not great. He says she’s still focusing on how the men see Marilyn and needs her help.

Can you smell the sexual tension yet?

Karen catches up with Jimmy and tries to apologize for Derek. Jimmy pretty much tells her to stuff it. He says that he doesn’t care what happens but Kyle really wants to make it to Broadway. So if Karen’s just messing with him, Jimmy says, she should let him down easy.

After rehearsal, a limo pulls up and Ronnie gets out. Derek says the producers weren’t impressed by his scene and Ronnie confirms it. But she then reveals she dropped out of “The Wiz.” She wants to do a one night only concert that will shed her old image and asks Derek to direct it. He agrees; she invites him out for drinks but he refuses. Instead, he chases down Karen.

At their apartment, Jimmy is drunk…and possibly high. Kyle says Karen and Derek are outside their door so Jimmy asks him if he’s high. But he’s not and he lets the two in. Jimmy and Kyle go over their play: It’s about a poor boy with a dark past who writes music (hello, Jimmy!). One day, he meets a rich girl who can sing and who steals his songs (foreshadowing for Karen? Someone else?). He chases after her, only to discover she is famous and addicted to fame. She wants more of his songs and he keeps giving them to her because he loves her. Then, Jimmy says, it gets pretty dark. Okay. The episode ends with Derek listening to their music while everyone enjoys a beer.

Phew! I thought I’d never finish it. I really need to work on getting these out quicker. But let’s wrap up the episode: I’m not sure what Peter’s angle is. I don’t think we should trust him, not yet, anyway. And I think Kyle might be one of my new favorite characters!

Quote of the Episode
“Art without torture…I don’t think it’s possible.”—Tom

Read Playbill's "Smash" report here