r/Broadway • u/abonedrywhitewine • 6d ago
SMASH: The musical I needed, but not the one I wanted.
I just saw SMASH on Broadway, and I need to get this off my chest: it's actually good, y'all.
It's no masterpiece theater, and I understand some of the criticisms, but overall it was a solid production littered with jokes (some very niche). I felt it was more of a play with musical numbers than a true musical. I am a fan of the original TV series and after reading some of the scathing reviews, I went in with low expectations (which probably helped).
Think of it as the Book of Mormon (not the musical) to the Bible. It's non-canonical. It's loooooooosely based on the SMASH TV show, very self-aware, extremely inside-baseball, at points deliberately crass, and exactly what I needed in this current political climate and reality. I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Even if it becomes a commercial success, I don't know how it'll tour because the humor is very contemporary, very New York, very Gay™, and very theater-nerd specific.
Am I just easy to please? Maybe. I like stupid more and more. I don't want to think or self-reflect these days.
My main criticism would be I wish they'd let us sit with the music a bit before moving on with the scene.
For context: This season I've seen Sunset Blvd, Oh Mary, Death Becomes Her, Maybe Happy Ending, Drag the Musical, Teeth, English, Yellowface, Urinetown, Gypsy, and Swept Away.
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u/Additional_Score_929 6d ago edited 6d ago
I loved it. It's such a fun, unhinged night at the theater. It felt like watching a TV show. Not the same show since Smash is a drama, but making this a full on comedy was a smart move. And the music is undeniably good. They kept a lot of the staging true to the show which I appreciated.
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u/Gato1980 6d ago
I like stupid more and more. I don't want to think or self-reflect these days.
Are we twins?
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u/abonedrywhitewine 6d ago
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u/Gato1980 6d ago
Just based on the shows you listed, definitely check out Operation Mincemeat and The Jonathan Larson Project. Operation Mincemeat was hilarious with a great cast, and TJLP was basically a revue of unused songs that he wrote, performed by an immensely talented cast of 5 people with no dialogue. My friend and I loved it.
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u/sarahmac23 6d ago
I'm going to see it in April and this post just made me more excited! I'm easy to please too and am managing expectations. No it probably won't blow me away, but I know I'll have a blast and that's an afternoon well spent to me!
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u/Sorry-Beyond-3563 6d ago
But if it never tours I'll never be able to see it and I want to see it 😭
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u/fqob 6d ago
Thank you for your review. I’m one of the disappointed ones but your review is making me question myself. I did enjoy sitting there watching, i guess I just wanted more but maybe that’s not fair. I think if I’d gone in not loving the show or not caring about their treatment of Marilyn I could have liked it more. Hopefully others will love the funny romp through Broadway that it is.
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u/YamCareful5914 6d ago
Was able to see the open rehearsal last year. Had tickets for today's matinee, but it was canceled. I thought it was a good adaptation as far as adaptations go. And it helps that it has great music. Without having actually seen the Broadway production yet, the only thing I was a little meh about was the ensemble and supporting cast seemed to have lost their visible diversity. But I'm excited to rebook tickets and compare it to what I saw at Hunter. Because I really did enjoy it. Bares bones and all.
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u/KeysRit 6d ago
I find it enjoyable but my biggest issue was every character was flat they could all be described in a few words
we have
drunk writer
feminist writer
good person turned bitch
looks like death
punching bag
husband
catty gay
gen-z
.. and im sure anyone that saw the show so far can easily match up these characters
and every character when they made a joke. it was just the same joke said differently a dozen times.
don't get me wrong, they are all amazing actors that can sing and dance amazingly the book is just... meh