BOMBSHELL's 2015 Concert Will Stream Next Week; SMASH Cast to Come Together for Virtual Reunion

The Actors Fund in association with PEOPLE have announced a special one-night-only streaming event: "Bombshell in Concert" (captured in 2015), featuring a reunion of original cast members from the NBC series "Smash." This special event will stream Wednesday, May 20 at 8:00 PM ET.

The evening will be introduced by two-time Academy Award winner Renée Zellweger and, during intermission, Julie Klausner of "Difficult People" will host a live, virtual reunion with the show's original cast members including: Christian Borle, Jaime Cepero, Will Chase, Brian d'Arcy James, Jack Davenport, Ann Harada, Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan, Katharine McPhee, Andy Mientus, Debra Messing, Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez, and Wesley Taylor.

It has been five years since the sold-out one-night-only live performance of "Bombshell in Concert" electrified Broadway at the Minskoff Theater - and seven years after the NBC hit "Smash" concluded its series - and now the company returns for an event to be streamed directly to the fans. Cast members will also discuss the show that brought original musical numbers to network television every week, which lovingly celebrated life on Broadway.

Bombshell, the show-within-the-show about the life of Marilyn Monroe, features a score by Tony and Grammy Award-winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who also served as executive producers of "Smash." The live one-night-only concert, held at the Minskoff Theater in New York City on June 8, 2015, included fully staged numbers and a full orchestra and chorus, and remains one of the most successful fundraisers ever for The Actors Fund.

Bob Greenblatt, one of the producers of the event, said, "I speak for Neil Meron and our wonderful creative team of Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman and Joshua Bergasse when I say that we are thrilled to help raise more money for The Actors Fund and all their good work during this difficult time. "Smash" and "Bombshell In Concert" were thrilling experiences for us, and we are overjoyed that fans everywhere will get to finally see these amazing performances. We're grateful to everyone at The Actors Fund and PEOPLE for their love of the performing arts."

"We're incredibly grateful to Bob Greenblatt and Neil Meron and to everyone in this generous cast and creative team," said Tony Award® winner and Actors Fund Chairman Brian Stokes Mitchell. ""Bombshell in Concert" will be a wonderful evening to share this benefit night with fans far and wide, and will raise much-needed funds to help The Actors Fund continue to help everyone in need in our entertainment community across the country."

That now historic evening was produced by two of the series executive producers, the Emmy Award-winning Craig Zadan and Neil Meron; and was co-directed and written by Scott Wittman, and co-directed and choreographed by "Smash's" Emmy Award-winning choreographer, Joshua Bergasse. Music Supervision was by Scott M. Riesett under the direction of Marc Shaiman.

Neil Meron and Bob Greenblatt serve as the producers of this streamed event. And Matt Hoffman and Scott Silberstein, co-founders of HMS Media, are handling all post production duties.

The streaming of "Bombshell in Concert" continues the musical's honored association with The Actors Fund, the national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency and serves as a safety net to everyone in the performing arts and entertainment industry. In past seven weeks, The Fund has distributed $10.1 million in emergency financial assistance to 8,558 people in need due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, or more than five times the funds normally provided in a year.

As the emergency with Coronavirus continues to evolve, The Actors Fund has temporarily transitioned to online and phone-based services, which remain available for everyone in the performing arts and entertainment community. These services include: Artists Health Insurance Resource Center, The Career Center, Housing Resources, Addiction & Recovery, HIV/AIDS and Senior Services, Counseling and Emergency Financial Assistance, as well as The Friedman Health Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

"Smash" is based on an original idea by Steven Spielberg, who was also executive producer of the series. "Smash" was created by Theresa Rebeck.