Jack Davenport News

The new featured song from tonight's episode of NBC's musical drama series SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), is now available from NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Columbia Records on the iTunes store at http://www.itunes.com/NBCSmash.

On tonight's episode of SMASH entitled 'The Movie Star', 'Bombshell' is turned upside-down by the arrival of movie star Rebecca Duvall (special guest star Uma Thurman). Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) are drawn into an uneasy alliance against their new rival -- but can they overcome their history? The romance between Tom (Christian Borle) and Sam (Leslie Odom, Jr.) heats up, while Julia (Debra Messing) and Frank (Brian d'Arcy James) must put aside their differences to address a family crisis. The episode airs Monday, April 16 at 10:00 pm/ET on the NBC network.

The winners of the most prestigious event in the UK theatrical calendar, the 36th Olivier Awards with MasterCard, were announced tonight (15 April 2012) at the Royal Opera House as part of a glamorous and star-studded night of entertainment from the West End's finest talent.

The 36th Olivier Awards welcomed the United Kingdom's biggest stars tonight, April 15, at the Royal Opera House in London. See photos of Matthew Warchus, Tim Minchin and Bertie Carvel with Sophia Kiely, Eleanor Worthington Cox, Kerry Ingram and Cleo Demetriou, winners of Best Actress in a Musical for Matilda the Musical, plus Ruth Wilson, Jonny Lee Miller, Zach Braff, Susannah Fielding, Peter Darling, John Berry, Hayley Atwell, Dan Stevens and more in the winners room below!

We're live in London for this year's Olivier Awards!

The new featured song from last night's episode of NBC‘s musical drama series SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), is now available from NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Columbia Records on the iTunes store at http://www.itunes.com/NBCSmash.

Last night on SMASH, the show landed a star, the mercurial Rebecca Duvall (guest star Uma Thurman), but Eileen (Anjelica Huston) was thrown into a panic when Rebecca got stuck in Cuba. Derek (Jack Davenport) put Karen (Katharine McPhee) in as understudy, but she had to learn to perform under extreme pressure as he threatened to break her will. Tom and Julia (Christian Borle and Debra Messing) celebrated their anniversary with a ritual - and face some hard truths about what show business can do to relationships. Miss the episode? Catch up below!

The 36th Olivier Awards with MasterCard will offer a star-studded night of awards and exclusive entertainment at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 15 April hosted by West End stars Michael Ball and Imelda Staunton. The list of presenters includes Hayley Atwell, Douglas Booth, Zach Braff, Jim Carter, Tom Chambers, Tyne Daly, Jack Davenport, Agyness Deyn, Jonathan Edwards, Susannah Fielding, Vittorio Grigolo, Lenny Henry, Ronan Keating, Katherine Kelly, Harry Lloyd, James McAvoy, Natascha McElhone, Laurie Metcalf, Elaine Paige, Dan Stevens, Sir Patrick Stewart, David Suchet, Kara Tointon, Will Young, Zoe Wanamaker, Jodie Whittaker and Barbara Windsor with a few more surprises on the night.

Ending on a nod to Michael Bennett's heart-stopping coup de theatre Act One Finale to DREAMGIRLS - with the button of Karen (Katharine McPhee)'s exquisitely and evocatively emotional "Never Give All The Heart" giving way to a grand diva entrance for the highly anticipated debut of special SMASH guest star, Uma Thurman, who took the applause (and generated even more awe for the moment, in turn) - last night's "The Understudy" episode of NBC's hit musical dramedy series SMASH was one of the strongest episodes since the first few, with three new outstanding Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman songs as well as Megan Hilty's sensitive cover of Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway". In addition to the mega-wattage jolt of the final few moments provided by PULP FICTION and KILL BILL movie icon Thurman, we were also treated to another new multi-arc guest star in the guise of Tony Award-winning LES MIZ and CATS lead Terrence Mann. "The Understudy" had a central focus on many of the stronger dramatic, thematic and musical touchstones of the series so far and with even a cursory consideration of cumulative of content to date it is clear to witness that we are seeing major pay-offs for many story arcs and plot elements buried as far back as the stupendous pilot episode. Indeed, with Christian Borle, Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee all given a big musical moment, the plot and music were drawn together pleasingly and privatively - particularly in the aforementioned crowning achievement of "Never Give All The Heart"; perhaps the finest ballad from BOMBSHELL, the Marilyn Monroe show-within-the-series, yet presented on SMASH. Each week, the elements we enjoy most seem to be amplified while the lesser subject matter is strengthened by new plot developments and enhanced perspective due to the various circumstances concerning the cast of characters. Let's go one by one through the cast and see where we have ended up since the pilot as we had into the final third of SMASH Season One.

On the April 9th episode of NBC's musical drama series SMASH entitled 'Understudy', the show has landed a star, the mercurial Rebecca Duvall (guest star Uma Thurman), but Eileen (Anjelica Huston) is thrown into a panic when Rebecca gets stuck in Cuba.

While NBC's SMASH is still in the midst on Season One, buzz has already been circulating that the team is looking to bring 'Bombshell,' the musical within the series, to the Broadway stage. According to the LA Times, bringing the Marilyn musical to the Great White Way is not a current priority.

Next week on SMASH, the show has landed a star, the mercurial Rebecca Duvall (guest star Uma Thurman), but Eileen (Anjelica Huston) is thrown into a panic when Rebecca gets stuck in Cuba. Derek (Jack Davenport) puts Karen (Katharine McPhee) in as understudy, but she must learn to perform under extreme pressure as he threatens to break her will. Tom and Julia (Christian Borle and Debra Messing) celebrate their anniversary with a ritual - and face some hard truths about what show business can do to relationships. Check out a sneak peek of Christian Borle (Tom) performing in the upcoming episode below!

Tony Award winner Norbert Leo Butz guest starred on the April 2 episode of NBC's SMASH. Watch his performance in the video below!

Next week on SMASH, the show has landed a star, the mercurial Rebecca Duvall (guest star Uma Thurman), but Eileen (Anjelica Huston) is thrown into a panic when Rebecca gets stuck in Cuba. Derek (Jack Davenport) puts Karen (Katharine McPhee) in as understudy, but she must learn to perform under extreme pressure as he threatens to break her will. Tom and Julia (Christian Borle and Debra Messing) celebrate their anniversary with a ritual - and face some hard truths about what show business can do to relationships. Check out a sneak peek below!

BC and Columbia Records announced that the soundtrack from the first season of NBC's musical hit SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET) will be released on May 1.

On the April 2 episode of SMASH, Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Ivy (Megan Hilty) find themselves in competition again - this time for an orange juice commercial, but the two actresses let loose after a long, hard, work day in the middle of Times Square with their rendition of Rihanna's 'Cheers (Drink to That)'.

Today we are continuing BroadwayWorld's extensive coverage of NBC's musical dramedy series SMASH by talking to an Oscar-winning actress known for her genre-spanning performances in CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS, THE WITCHES, THE ADDAMS FAMILY, PRIZZI'S HONOR and THE GRIFTERS - among many other notable performances - the simply divine Anjelica Huston. Sharing stories about her famous family - father, director and actor John Huston; grandfather, stage and screen actor Walter Huston - Huston opens up about her experiences preparing for the tailor-made role of Eileen Rand on SMASH and drops some hints about the future for her character, in business and romance, as well as what we can expect her to sing in a future episode - the classic Kurt Weill/Maxwell Anderson gem originally written for her grandfather in KNICKERBOCKER HOLIDAY, "September Song". Additionally, Huston recalls previously musically collaborating onscreen with stupendous SMASH songwriter Marc Shaiman on THE ADDAMS FAMILY (remember The Mamoushka?) and reflects on her unforgettable role in the Stephen Frears modern classic THE GRIFTERS. Plus, Huston's memories of performing Shakespeare on Broadway, her reaction to Stephen Sondheim's insights on her father in his recent book, and much, much more!

Last night on SMASH, the team dealt with the aftermath of the workshop. Ivy (Megan Hilty) remained in the dark about her fate, while Derek (Jack Davenport) recruited Karen (Katharine McPhee) to help him steal the musical from Tom and Julia (Christian Borle and Debra Messing). Eileen (Anjelica Huston) had to face up to her ex-husband, Jerry (guest star Michael Cristofer), when their daughter Katie (guest star Grace Gummer) payed a surprise visit from India. Miss the episode? Catch up beow!

Sporadically shedding its former skin as a mainly musical endeavor, last night's "The Coup" episode of NBC's musical dramedy series SMASH stepped outside the box and presented a drama-focused show heavy on the plot and light on the musical numbers - with surprisingly strong results, believe it or not. As has become abundantly apparent, in the seven episodes up until this point, SMASH seems to have excelled in its musical sequences which floated high, flying, adored (like Eva Peron in EVITA) above everything else; enlivening the proceedings where the story fell short - usually, with Ivy (Megan Hilty) dominating the Marilyn Monroe show-within-the-show songs and Karen (Katharine McPhee) making the very most of an impressive melange of pop covers - but, as penned by Scott Burkhardt and directed by GLEE veteran Paris Barclay, "The Coup" showed that SMASH has legs and can sustain a character/plot-focused story from time to time, too. And, anyway, it's hard to complain too much about a lack of songs when we were presented with perhaps the most unique and stylized pop musical number to date in the form of the Top 40-ready Ryan Tedder-written potential Marilyn burlesque routine - that is, if Derek (Jack Davenport) takes the show-within-the-show in an entirely new direction and leaves Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) by the wayside. That potential prospect seems highly unlikely, though - to say the very, very least. Speaking of high, "The Coup" flew the coop as far as daring to do what many may have thought unlikely or impossible - namely, weaving in almost seamless, fully-integrated musical sequences such as Ivy & company's down and dirty bowling alley cover song set to the funky 60s sounds of Sly & The Family Stone's "Dance To The Music", or, (almost) effortlessly managing to make a contemporary song in a musical theatre milieu actually function (more or less) and come alive in the form of the sexy and titillating 'Touch Me'. Yes, "The Coup" stylistically diverged from what has come before on SMASH, but the more risks taken, the more rewards reaped. Definitely don't count all the eggs in the SMASH basket before they're hatched!

Tensions are rising between Smash's Karen Cartwright and Ivy Lynn after Karen was asked to preview a new vision for MARILYN The Musical and Ivy was informed that her replacement was inevitable. In this week's upcoming episode, it seems the tables will start to turn, as Karen and Ivy bond in Times Square. BroadwayWorld visited the Times Square set back in December when the episode was filmed to get some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the team. Check out a preview of what's to come below!