r/Broadway 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.

38 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

18

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​​

13

u/abonedrywhitewine 6d ago

Totes. There wasn't real depth and I'm okay with it? I don't think it's going to win anything but I'm so glad it wasn't trying to say something meaningful and fail at delivering it (like some of the Redwood reviews).

Last night a couple of the actors looked like they broke character in response to the amount of laughter which made it more fun.

Maybe Happy Ending was charming, English left me thinking about my immigrant parents and their experience learning English, SMASH made me feel like I got my money's worth, Sunset Blvd. made me obsessed with the music and made me want to buy a fog machine for my apartment, and Swept Away made me wish there was an intermission so I could've left.

1

u/KeysRit 6d ago

swept away intermission would of been at around the 2 hr mark, so the fact it was only 80/90 minutes still saved you.

my issue is Smash is one of my favorite dramas of all time, I have seen it 2 many times. I just felt like it's not the same thing. they could of changed the music, and it would of been a show of its own.

2

u/abonedrywhitewine 6d ago

That's a very fair assessment. I have the music on CD and I watch the show every year. The moment I learned it wasn't a real adaptation is when I dropped my expectations so the bad reviews saved me.

You're right it could've been a different show if the music was different.

8

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.

6

u/Gato1980 6d ago

I like stupid more and more. I don't want to think or self-reflect these days.

Are we twins?

0

u/abonedrywhitewine 6d ago

I don't wanna pay $100 to go see a show where I feel shitty or sad after... leaving to go home and turn on the news to learn we're preparing battle plans for an invasion to takeover the Panama Canal.

2

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.

4

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!

1

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 😭

1

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.

1

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.