Bombshell Broadway?

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 5:22pm

I'm sure this has been asked before but does anyone ever see this happening? They could obviously do it and do well. Everyone who watched the show would go see it and even people who didn't watch the show would see it. And obviously Megan Hilty would be Marilyn. If she was ever gonna come back to broadway this would be the role she would come back for.

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 5:30pm

I probably wouldn't go see it.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 5:34pm

^ May I ask why?

[Phyllis Rogers Stone]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 5:41pm

No, sorry.

Posted: 12/10/13 at 5:45pm

I think it's almost certain to transfer to Broadway- if it can get theater. IT will depend on when THE NBC PRODUCTION OF THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE transfers and which theater it goes into.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 5:53pm

To answer your questions, OP, I actually think it would work very well if it had a good book to go along with the, IMO, amazing Shaiman/Wittman score. I, honestly, would see Megan Hilty playing Marilyn if she was available. She didn't really become a Marilyn "caricature" in what we saw of Bombshell on the show, which would have been unappealing, I'm sure. If a design team were put in place to really bring the show to life, like I said not just what we saw on Smash, I think it WOULD work. But NBC would have to have major say since they own Smash and pretty much everything Bombshell-related. I assume Disney does the same for the shows based on the films.

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 6:01pm

Even though it's really well known because of the show, I doubt NBC would give the rights away to it. It's not worth much because of how much money they lost on Smash, but I think it would take years and years of wrangling, and I doubt anyone cares that much. I'm still sad about that show ending

[oasisjeff]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 6:03pm

I'm a fan of Smash, but I don't think there are enough Smash fans to sustain it on Broadway. That TV show lineage can be a bonus thing, but it really needs to be an amazing standalone show to matter.

So, the real question is, if you take the musical numbers out of the Smash context, and play with the book, etc., is there a solid show in there?

Sure, there are solid songs, a great cast, Megan Hilty doing full frontal nudity, but like many things that don't catch on Broadway, the book is a huge component that is still pretty unknown.

Plus, a lot of the songs on the show were not created to be part of an actual show, so would they feel compelled to keep them in for the Smash angle, or would they cut a fun song like "I never Met a Wolf that didn't like to howl" if it wasn't advancing the narrative?

And of course, people love to put up shows based on known material, but would investors be skittish about sinking money into a show based on a canceled show that had dismal TV ratings. They usually try and repurpose popular content in these cases, no?

Updated On: 12/10/13 at 06:03 PM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 6:15pm

Unless it is approached and promoted well as a Marilyn Monroe musical, I think it can do well despite the fanbase of Smash. Of course those people probably WOULD see it, but that only lasts so long.

[mjohnson2]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 6:33pm

Completely agreed. I really didn't like Smash, especially once Hit List was introduced, but I thought that Bombshell did have some really catchy and impressive tunes, without sounding generic like Catch Me If You Can did. I would be interested if they could get a good person to write the book.

[Mike Barrett]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 6:43pm

They don't really need to advertise that it's from Smash. Obviously people would know that's where the idea came from but I think this show would sell well just because of the name Marilyn Monroe. And of course there are some people (like me) who love Smash and who love this music and would go support the show regardless. I really think this show has a pretty universal appeal.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 7:04pm

Might SOME musical about Marily do well? Sure, regardless of whether or not it was Bombshell. WILL it do well? Not if they were relying on the fans of Smash.

But as others have said, there isn't a fully realized book to this. IF they wanted to attmept it, it would likely still be a year or more away.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 7:12pm

BOMBSHELL is the new CARRIE. Bitches just won't shut up until there's a production.

And sometimes not even then.

[James885]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 7:26pm

Putting aside the fact that there's no book to Bombshell, I think any producer would be nuts to think that a stage production of a musical featured in a low rated television show could possibly sustain an audience long enough to turn a profit.

[veronicamae]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 7:33pm

I asked Megan Hilty about this earlier this year (not that she would really have anything to do with it happening but anyway):

Q: Will we ever get to see Bombshell in its entirety - a two-hour special, or perhaps even a limited engagement on Broadway?

A: It's definitely a possibility, but they would have to write it! Right now it's a bunch of amazing songs, but there's no book! Honestly I would love to meet the woman that could sing all those songs in a row, let alone eight shows per week. It would take a lot of work, but it's a great idea for a musical and it's great that people are excited to see something like that.

Posted: 12/10/13 at 9:20pm

Oasisjeff brings up a good point about cutting unecessary songs from the show that were written to reflect the plot of SMASH more than that of BOMBSHELL. Would that anger and disappoint the fans of SMASH when their favorite song is cut to make it work better?

Also, do you think they'd take the Tom/Eileen route (big and glamorous) or the Julia/Derek route, concentrating on the men?

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 12/10/13 at 9:41pm

I just don't think Deb Messing has it in her to fix that book. And nobody ever heard from Daniel Sunjata again.

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 12:27am

There is no musical "Bombshell." There was an illusion of one on TV. You can't transfer an illusion.

Updated On: 12/11/13 at 12:27 AM

[Out In The Sticks]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 9:17am

I'm sure they could create a book and fit most if not all the songs in. My real question is the amount of singing Marilyn would have to do, surely its the same or similar to the role of Evita, she's really only off the stage a couple of times in the show too. Lots of actresses have played that role 6 or more times a week.

[cknick]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 10:27am

I wasn't a real big fan of Smash, but those songs in Bombshell were some of the best contemporary musical theater writing I have heard! I don't know that it would work on Broadway, but it certainly sounds better than most of the new musicals.



Updated On: 12/11/13 at 10:27 AM

[newintown]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 10:34am

I think that, even if "Everyone who watched the show would go see it" (which seems stupendously unlikely), that would only guarantee a six-month (or shorter) run.

Given the fact that the TV show didn't do particularly well, and that there actually is no Bombshell show (only a handful of songs),and that Marilyn hasn't proved to be a draw as a musical theatre topic - all these facts suggest a greater likelihood that this would be a bomb, rather than a bombshell.

Not that investors haven't flocked to put money into shows that have had a greater smell of failure than this...

[bdn223]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 12:11pm

Weirdly I see HIT LIST making to to Broadway before Bombshell ever does. From the NYPost's review of the concert as well as what I have heard from friends who were there, it was pretty great. The show has an actual book,which was decent. Unlike Bombshell, theSmash cast outside of McPhee seem to be interested in bringing the show to life. The only problem is how to stage it, since unlike the Smash version the meta that was the text message interaction is next to impossible unless producers want to fork up a large amount of money for what is supposed to a little show that could.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 12:50pm

Do you think that Micheal Riedel could handle 8 performances a week plus his column twice weekly?

[CarlosAlberto]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 1:01pm

...And nobody ever heard from Daniel Sunjata again.

He's actually chained to my bed.

[Theater'sBestFriend]

Posted: 12/11/13 at 1:29pm

"I'm sure they could create a book and fit most if not all the songs in."

Never a good idea in writing a musical. The story doesn't serve the songs; the songs must serve the story. Doing otherwise is like building a house clapboards first, frame last -- it's theoretically possible, but it usually collapses. (That's not to say it wouldn't be entertaining to see someone try.)


Updated On: 12/11/13 at 01:29 PM