We round up the reviews for the stage adaptation based on the tv show.
Theatermania.com: “But again, this is a frothy musical comedy, and plenty of theatergoers are happy to trade high stakes for high production value, back-to-back laughs, and thrilling performances.”
The Guardian: **** “A real-life musical celebrating willful delusion in the name of Broadway is perhaps the best possible tribute to the Smash of yore, and an enjoyable two-and-a-half hours at the theater for everyone else.”
The New York Times: “As the plot touches down for its perfect landing, I was surprised again by the turn of events. Not only the ones in the plot but also the ones well beyond it. ‘Smash’ the musical is a kind of reclamation of ‘Smash’ the series, and probably a kind of revenge as well. You won’t see the program credit for Theresa Rebeck, the series’ creator, without a microscope. For some fans, the changes may feel like a desecration. For the rest of us, a real musical comedy is a cause for celebration; most are either too tuneless to be musicals or too dull to be comedies. The true mystery of ‘Smash’ is how such a messy makeover produced such a sterling example of both.”
Vulture.com: “I’m a sucker for a self-referential theatrical tale. Give me an All That Jazz or a 42nd Street and I’m happy. But in the version of Smash that made it to the stage, the magic flickers out. You can imagine the characters in a meta-retelling of the show yelling at one another trying to find where they went wrong. It’s not for lack of talent or budget: Stroman did The Producers, Hurder is an incredibly lithe dancer, they clearly spent a ton of money on Beowulf Boritt’s fully realized sets (he uses video screens only when dramatically necessary, bless him), and Alejo Vietti’s costumes have the texture and sparkle of quality material. The ingredients are all there, yet the theatrical bread never rises. “
Time Out: *** “Somehow, I enjoyed the overall experience of Smash. Aside from Ashmanshas and a few diverting numbers, the show is undeniably unmoored. But isn’t that ultimately true to the brand? This production embraces failure; it hugs its own shambles. And for diehard Smash appreciators, perhaps that—in a meta way!—is right for the material: Part of the appeal of Bombshell has always been that it had bomb written right into it.”
The Wall Street Journal: “But as they extend into the second act, the busy convolutions of the plot—will Ivy, Karen or Chloe ultimately win the role of Marilyn, and does one really care?—become repetitive and mildly preposterous, even for the purportedly madcap world of showbiz.”
Observer.com: “it’s a phenomenal cast and Stroman delivers her most dazzling, fluid staging in years, immensely aided by Joshua Bergasse’s frisky, high-kicking choreography. After years burning up the boards in Moulin Rouge! The Musical and elsewhere, thrice-blessed Robyn Hurder finally gets the starring role she was born to sing, dance and act the hell out of. Will Smash live up to its name? Who knows; how many tired businessmen you got?”
Variety: “After all this wait, it is undeniably thrilling and deeply enjoyable to experience these beloved songs on stage, and to get some more time with this dramatic band of thespians. So for those fans dying for more “Smash” content, this musical will absolutely scratch that (more than seven-year) itch; for those uninitiated, this production offers a high-energy, fun musical comedy with a phenomenal score. Either way, it is, in fact, what you’ve been needing.”
Deadline: “Perhaps most perplexing about Smash, though, is its weirdly cynical, ungenerous take on the Bombshell herself. For a musical, and a musical within a musical, that gives lip service to her cultural value, Smash The Musical treats Monroe as a perpetual punchline. Ivy-as-Marilyn is an inconsiderate, amphetamine guzzling faux-intellectual whose devotion to the acting craft is presented as a vainglorious affectation. This Marilyn is without even a smidge of the sweetness and vulnerability that features in even the most cliched takes on the icon. Hurder does her best with what she’s given, but we leave Smash The Musical baffled as to what all the fuss was about.”
The Wrap.com: “Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman have recycled their songs from the TV series, and at their best, those tunes are ersatz Andrew Lloyd Webber, which, at their best are ersatz Giacomo Puccini.”
Theatrely.com: “This score and choreography are no joke, despite how cosmically absurd its performers’ profession can sometimes be. But Smash ends on a note of which Fosse would approve, of the brief glory achieved through all that hoofing. If it’s also mean as hell, that’s showbiz.”
New York Stage Review: “Although Smash is not so hot as light entertainment, its script and score are at least professionally executed and the leading actors, capably supported by an attractive ensemble, all but knock themselves out striving to put over this dubious endeavor.”
New York Theatre Guide: “The few songs performed in full — the comic patter song “Don’t Say Yes Until I Finish Talking,” the devastating ballad “They Just Keep Moving the Line,” the indomitable, Emmy-nominated showstopper “Let Me Be Your Star” — are fantastic showcases for the actors who sing them and the show’s strongest moments. They also made me want to immediately replay the Bombshell album on Spotify.”
The New York Post: “The music is repetitive and unexciting, much like Joshua Bergasse’s choreography, which is neither funny nor fun.”
Entertainment Weekly: “Smash exists to sing the praises of the many, many talented people on and off the stage that it takes to bring a blockbuster musical to life. As much as I loved that mess on NBC, it’s clear Smash belonged on Broadway all along.”
To find out more visit: https://smashbroadway.com/