Quite possibly the biggest drama of the year to come out of the United States, Smash is the adult Glee – big budget, big attitude, big numbers. Another one of those shows where if you don’t have Foxtel it might be worth getting it just for this. From the press release:
There’s nothing more exciting than the opening night of a hit Broadway musical, except maybe what happens getting there – this is the story of Smash.
One of the most acclaimed US drama pilots of the season, the series Smash premieres Tuesday, February 21 at 6.30pm Qld time (7.30pm AEDT) on FOXTEL’s W channel.
Julia and Tom, a successful songwriting team played by Debra Messing and Christian Borle, begin work on a new musical based on the life of Marilyn Monroe. When tenacious producer Eileen Rand (Anjelica Huston) jumps aboard, so begins the difficult task of casting the silver screen icon.
Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty), a tough Broadway veteran, seems like the obvious choice. But enter Karen Cartwright (American Idol’s Katharine McPhee), a young girl from Iowa with a dream of making it on Broadway, who walks in and blows everyone away. So who will get the part and begin a journey that will change their lives? It’s an age-old story, but a star might be born once again.
While everyone is consumed with putting the show together, real life has a tendency of getting in the way. Julia and her husband are in the middle of a complicated adoption; the producer’s husband begins divorce proceedings which could threaten the finances of the show; and the brilliant but womanising director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) could derail everything if he puts the young star in a compromising position. This will be a rollercoaster ride that culminates on opening night when the audience gets to determine whether or not the show is a smash!
Executive producers Steven Spielberg and Craig Zadan & Neil Meron (producers of Chicago and Hairspray), and songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray), bring you the blood, sweat, and tears of the making of a Broadway musical.
* The New York-produced Smash is a production of Universal Television in association with DreamWorks Television and Madwoman in the Attic and will premiere in the US on February 6, on NBC.
Smash – Tue 21/2 7:30pm AEDT, W.