Bombshell and Smash

[jacksonpotter]

Just curious to see if anyone has heard anything about the Bombshell transfer to Broadway and who you'd all want to see fill the roles. I don't think anyone can do Marilyn justice like Megan Hilty can but I'm not too sure about everyone else. 

Also, just for the sake of a Smash thread, who do you think was better Ivy or Karen? 

[broadwayboy223]

Are there rumors of a transfer?!?!! I really want Megan Hilty back on Broadway so I'd love to see her in the part if it happened

[rodrigo_ca]

The last time the composers said anything, they were working on it (and the show does need a lot of work if they want to find an actress possibly able to play her 6 times per week).

 

And Karen was never competition. Sorry, girl. She just wasn't made into a star yet.

[GeorgeandDot]

The two ladies should alternate the part. Neither of them could sing the score 8 times a week. It's a truly great score, but I'm interested to see how the book is.

[jacksonpotter]

GeorgeandDot said: "The two ladies should alternate the part. Neither of them could sing the score 8 times a week. It's a truly great score, but I'm interested to see how the book is."

Don't know if they should alternate it, I don't think Katharine McPhee is quite the right voice for the score, but I do believe that finding anyone capable of singing some of those songs eight times a week would make it next to impossible - but maybe thats what they said when they were casting Elphie too. Yeah, I'm curious to see what's going on with the book, I'm curious to see who'd they're going to get to write it, maybe Douglas McGrath is a good bet at this point!

[JBroadway]

Is there any precedent for a fictional musical/play becoming a real musical/play? Would be curious to know. 

I wonder if the score would be eligible for the Tony. The songs were technically written for Bombshell, but also for Smash. 

[Ado Annie D'Ysquith]

SMASH cast/crew be in a perpetual state of:

[CindersGolightly]

Valentina, where you at? It's our time to shine.

[Valentina3]

Oh I'm here. Waiting for someone to say Karen was better than Ivy so I can take out my entire week's frustration on them.

[GeorgeandDot]

I know Katherine had her fair share of fans and her voice is pretty, but Hilty is clearly the better person for the show. I find Smash absurd because I can't believe that a group of theatrical professionals would ever look at Katherine and Megan and not be able to immediately tell who would be better for the part of Marilyn Monroe. I mean, I worked in casting, I can tell you right now that, that whole situation was BS.

That being said, Katherine can sing the score, as she proves on the album, and she has a great voice and would totally be a worthy role alternator to Hilty. Although, if I were to buy tickets, I would buy them to Hilty's show......

[CindersGolightly]

You know, I do not think Katharine was a bad Marilyn at all! In fact, I loved what we saw her do. She brought a lot of Norma Jeane to the role, and she was also a very nuanced Marilyn. Her Marilyn was very hesitant and calculated. That's why Public Relations worked so well in Katharine's hands. I feel like she instinctively knew how her life was going to end, and she was desperately working to try and stop it from crashing and burning. In the back of her mind, though, she knew she wouldn't end up happy. And that's an interesting take, and I loved it.

But compared to Megan, who is Marilyn? Anyone would fall flat. Because Megan Hilty is, quite frankly, a symbol of everything that was good about Marilyn. Every lip quiver, every vocal trill, every step she takes is infused with the Marilyn Magic that was so often talked about. It's insane to think that they would have the two up against each other, just because in the real world, Megan Hilty would attend one audition and walk out with the role. It was silly to watch it drag on between the two when we always knew it was Ivy.

And since we're talking about this, I've recently begun to imagine what it would be like if Bombshell came to Broadway without Hilty or McPhee, and who would be a worthy replacement as Marilyn. And I cannot stop thinking about what Emily Padgett would do with the role. I would love to hear her sing from the score. I feel like she would knock some of the more character-driven numbers like The 20th Century Fox Mambo, Public Relations, Dig Deep, and Let's Be Bad out of the park. And just imagining her Hang the Moon after obsessively listening to the very similar Shaiman Wittman song, If Your Father Were Here.

Obviously, I'd want Hilty to originate the role. But if this does end up happening, and she isn't available, my vote goes to Emily Padgett.

[OlliesDad]

I think we all can agree that the true star was Bobby!  Want proof? Who is the only one on Broadway now?

[edmundog2]

"The songs were technically written for Bombshell, but also for Smash. "

No, the songs were *technically* written for Smash. They were, in fact, only written for Smash, on which Bombshell was a fictional show. Unless they wrote a LOT of new stuff, the score would be ineligible.

[JennH]

OlliesDad said: "I think we all can agree that the true star was Bobby! Want proof? Who is the only one on Broadway now?"

HA! Wesley was literally my favorite supporting character! However just because Megan isn't on Broadway ugh now, doesn't mean she isn't a star. I think we can all agree on that  

Broadwayboy-Where you been?? You must have have missed those announcements back when, because it's been in talks for a while. 

Of course I want this to happen, and I swear if Megan DOESN'T do it, we all know there's an idiot afoot. And yes there's no way in the current state that one person could sing that 8 times a week. NO WAY. Elphaba is different animal because she's wails her holy trinity but even then there's places to back off and the rest of her songs aren't super nuts. Nor is she onstage almost the whole time. Then again, there's Evan...but that should have had a designated alternate from day one. Any role that's on stage the entire time with that kind of power singing throughout NEEDS one. 

I think the only thing going against this might be that it's not necessarily a Marilyn musical being done, it's basically Smash fan service. Which is fine, this music is Shaiman and Whitmans' best since Hairspray, but let's be real, this wouldn't even be attempted if it weren't for Smash.

[yankeefan7]

Megan Hilty was better vocally and at that time a better actress, I think Katharine McPhee was the better dancer.  I just don't see Katharine McPhee going to Broadway, is in her 4 th season on TV show "Scorpion" and made a movie. In addition, she will have a new album out shortly and I would think she will go out on the road and promote it.

[broadwayboy223]

Marilyn would probably need an alternate, but it should be noticed that in most live outings that Megan has lowered keys of some of the songs so.