Marilyn Monroe News

On next week's episode of SMASH, viewers will finally get their first look at 'Bombshell,' the Marilyn Monroe musical at the heart of NBC's new musical drama. The show will open for a test run in Boston. In the episode entitled 'Previews', the writing team of Tom (Christian Borle) and Julia (Debra Messing) scramble to fix the show when the first preview falls short, and Frank (Brian d'Arcy James) must adjust to the unwelcome return of Michael Swift (Will Chase) to his life. Dev (Raza Jaffrey) seeks reconciliation with Karen (Katharine McPhee), but explosive information about Ivy (Megan Hilty) lurks just beneath the surface. Check out 'Gotta Be a Smash' from the episode below!

THE Jack Cole PROJECT, a new musical entertainment by director/choreographer Chet Walker, presented at Queens Theatre in the Park (located in Flushing MeadowCorona Park) opens tonight, May 3, 2012.

Last month, it was reported that SMASH creator and executive producer Theresa Rebeck would step down as showrunner for the television show before it returns for its second season. At the time, it was indicated that Rebeck would continue writing and producing for the show, but as the writer told Vulture, she's focusing on other projects and will not return in any capacity for SMASH's second season.

On this Monday's episode of SMASH, viewers will finally get their first look at 'Bombshell,' the Marilyn Monroe musical at the heart of NBC's new musical drama.

The Encores! production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, opening May 9 at New York City Center, just held its press rehearsal, where BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge chatted with stars Megan Hilty and Rachel York, director John Rando and more of the cast. View footage from the rehearsal and learn about how the actors and creative team became part of the Encores! production, their favorite numbers and more in the video below!

In a career spanning three decades, the American choreographer Karole Armitage has continuously bridged contemporary ballet with the worlds of visual art and fashion. Luminaries such as Jeff Koons, David Salle, Philip Taaffe and Brice Marden have created sets and costumes for her dances. She is described as 'pioneering in her valorization of voguing, creating the video for Madonna's 'Vogue' in 1992 and serving on the jury of many of New York's underground voguing balls, elaborate early 1980s events in which 'walkers' competed in a series of categories emulating high fashion, style or a ways of being.'

Last night's episode of SMASH was full of surprises for the cast and crew of 'Bombshell'. If you missed any of the drama, be sure to catch up now!

Kicking off the plot-packed night, Cole Porter's classic KISS ME, KATE showbiz paean "Another Op'nin', Another Show" was given a full-bodied and exciting rendition by Christian Borle - with a gloriously accentuated arrangement courtesy of SMASH songwriter Marc Shaiman; seemingly channeling Barbra Streisand and Peter Matz - and, with that, the SMASH train left Manhattan and hit Boston for the tryout of the musical-within-the-series, BOMBSHELL. While Rebecca Duvall (Uma Thurman) may play the director of the show, Derek (Jack Davenport), better than she does her actual role in the musical - Marilyn Monroe - she is not the only member of the rich and varied ensemble on SMASH to be playing or being played (or both) - or hitting the occasional wrong note or two. With only two episodes left in Season One, the threads are being wrapped up into what is shaping up to be a pleasingly complex and colorful tapestry.

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

The Encores! production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, opening May 9 at New York City Center, stars Megan Hilty as Lorelei Lee, the diamond-loving blonde made famous by Carol Channing (Broadway) and Marilyn Monroe (film). Rachel York stars as Dorothy Shaw, Lorelei's brunette best friend. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes will be directed by John Rando with music direction by Rob Berman and choreography by Randy Skinner and will play for seven performances, May 9 - 13, at New York City Center, 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.

Gregory Boyd, Artistic Director of the Tony Award-winning Alley Theatre, announces its new season of exciting plays created by a diverse group of playwrights who have collectively earned three Pulitzer Prizes, multiple Tony and Olivier Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award.

La popular serie de televisión sobre la creación de un musical basado en la vida de Marilyn Monroe, llegará a las pantallas españolas el próximo sábado 12 de mayo a las 21.00h. Este drama musical, protagonizado por Megan Hilty y Katharine McPhee, que celebra la belleza y dolor del mundo del espectáculo sigue el proceso de selección de los aspirantes que albergan un único deseo: ser estrellas de Broadway.

On Monday night's episode of NBC's musical drama SMASH entitled 'Tech', as Rebecca Duvall (Uma Thurman) gets ready to take center stage when Bombshell goes on the road to Boston, it looks like Ivy may lose Derek once and for all as the production's director looks to continue his track record of bedding his leading ladies. Ivy is overcome with jealous as she sings Rose Royce's 'I'm Goin' Down'. To get a first look at the performance, click here!

This week on SMASH the show hit its peak insofar as synergy of story, plot, character and music - especially the music. Karen (Katharine McPhee) offered up a touching Snow Patrol cover, "Light Up", but the big musical moments of the show stand alongside the finest on the series so far - at least. Yes, "1001 Nights" and "Second Hand White Baby Grand" were the most captivating musical sequences on the show since the pilot's "National Pastime" and "Let Me Be Your Star", seamlessly weaving together the disparate elements of the series and amplifying the emotion into a heightened, exuberant expression of the character's deepest feelings, thoughts, hopes and wishes - exactly what the best numbers always do in the finest Broadway musicals, which SMASH is ostensibly about, more or less. The eleven episodes leading up to "Publicity" have prepared us perfectly well for the potential plights and victories about to be experienced by the colorful cast of characters as we enter the final triptych of Season One - with this one being a definite standout. Helmed by pilot director Michael Mayer and written by creator Theresa Rebeck, "Publicity" is surefire proof that SMASH has developed into a rewarding experience for the attentive viewers among us - the "1001 Nights" sequence alone so rife with detail pertaining to the entire arc of the character's journey on the show so far; and so much more - and a consistently compelling viewing experience for those seeking out great song sequences done up in a grand style. While the barebones "Second Hand White Baby Grand" was outfitted with merely rehearsal accoutrement, Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) made her big bid for the role of Marilyn Monroe in the musical-within-the-show and elicited every sentimental, sad, sweet and mournful note of perhaps the finest Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman original ballad yet to appear on the series. Yes, "1001 Nights" was the most extravagant entertainment experience presented thus far on SMASH - as promised by show stars Megan Hilty and Anjelica Huston weeks ago to me themselves - but the heart and soul of the series has always remained in the big ballads - look no further than the pilot's "Beautiful" and aforementioned duet finale coup de tele-theatre - and "Second Hand White Baby Grand" was a stunning moment allowing a soul-barred Marilyn just as the characters begin to find their own new levels of intimacy in their various entanglements - romantic, familial, professional, personal and otherwise. "Publicity" proved SMASH is set to hit high gear for the Boston tryout of BOMBSHELL that will close out the first season over the course of the next three weeks.

Tonight's episode of NBC's musical drama SMASH will be paying homage to 'Bollywood', the colorful movie genre of India. The episode will include an elaborate dream sequence, set to the original song 'A Thousand and One Nights' written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The dream stems from the strained relationship between Karen (Katharine McPhee) and Dev (Raza Jaffrey). Reveals series creator Theresa Rebeck, 'They have dinner in an Indian restaurant and there are Bollywood numbers playing in the videos on the wall.' Check out the full musical number below!

The April 23rd episode of NBC's musical drama SMASH will be paying homage to 'Bollywood', the colorful movie genre of India. The episode will include an elaborate dream sequence, set to the original song 'A Thousand and One Nights' written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.

On the April 23 episode of the NBC musical drama SMASH, Megan Hilty will perform an original song by composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. The tune is a tribute to Marilyn Monroe's most prized possession, her family's white baby grand piano that was auctioned off after her mother was committed to a psych ward.