Michael Cristofer News

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.

Next week on SMASH, Karen (Katharine McPhee) finds herself seduced by the glamorous life of new BFF Rebecca Duvall (special guest star Uma Thurman)- but can Rebecca be trusted? What will Karen's ascent mean to her relationship with Dev (Raza Jaffrey)? And will Rebecca drive Derek (Jack Davenport) insane? Eileen (Anjelica Huston) introduces new beau Nick (guest star Thorsten Kaye) to ex-husband Jerry (guest star Michael Cristofer), while Julia (Debra Messing) panics when her son Leo (Emory Cohen) goes missing. Check out a scene from the episode below, in wihich Derek gives Rebecca a piece of his mind.

New details for the upcoming April 23 episode of SMASH have been revealed on EW.com. According to the report, NBC's musical drama will be paying homage to 'Bollywood', the colorful movie genre of India.

Next week on SMASH, Karen (Katharine McPhee) finds herself seduced by the glamorous life of new BFF Rebecca Duvall (special guest star Uma Thurman)- but can Rebecca be trusted? What will Karen's ascent mean to her relationship with Dev (Raza Jaffrey)? And will Rebecca drive Derek (Jack Davenport) insane? Eileen (Anjelica Huston) introduces new beau Nick (guest star Thorsten Kaye) to ex-husband Jerry (guest star Michael Cristofer), while Julia (Debra Messing) panics when her son Leo (Emory Cohen) goes missing. Check out a sneak peek of the eppisode below!

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!

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.

Deadline reports that SMASH creator and executive producer Theresa Rebeck will step down as showrunner for the television show before it returns for its recently announced second season. Rebeck will remain an executive producer of the show, but will not be as extensively involved in the day-to-day production of the series.

NBC has renewed its critically acclaimed musical drama "Smash" (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET) for a second season, it was announced today by Robert Greenblatt, Chairman of NBC Entertainment.

Next week on SMASH, the team deals with the aftermath of the workshop. Ivy (Megan Hilty) remains in the dark about her fate, while Derek (Jack Davenport) recruits Karen (Katharine McPhee) to help him steal the musical from Tom and Julia (Christian Borle and Debra Messing). Eileen (Anjelica Huston) must face up to her ex-husband, Jerry (guest star Michael Cristofer), when their daughter Katie (guest star Grace Gummer) pays a surprise visit from India. Check out a sneak peek of the upcoming episode below! This upcoming episode marks the first time that we hear Tony nominee Brain d'Arcy James sing on the series, and you can check out a preview below!

Next week on SMASH, the team deals with the aftermath of the workshop. Ivy (Megan Hilty) remains in the dark about her fate, while Derek (Jack Davenport) recruits Karen (Katharine McPhee) to help him steal the musical from Tom and Julia (Christian Borle and Debra Messing). Eileen (Anjelica Huston) must face up to her ex-husband, Jerry (guest star Michael Cristofer), when their daughter Katie (guest star Grace Gummer) pays a surprise visit from India. Check out a sneak peek of the upcoming episode below!

The Broadway production of Arthur Miller's DEATH OF A SALESMAN opened officially last night, March 15, at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway. BroadwayWorld was on hand for the starry arrivals. Check out the photos below!

SMASH is out for blood - wolf's blood, that is. So, go howl! In the climax of the series so far - at least since that thrilling finale to the pilot episode - the wildly talented cast of characters that inhabit SMASH were joined in purpose and performance for the first time onscreen all together, singing "I Never Met A Wolf That Didn't Like To Howl" - well, at least the current top choices for Marilyn Monroe (Megan Hilty) and Joe DiMaggio (Will Chase) by the songwriting duo (portrayed by Debra Messing and Christian Borle) behind the show-within-the-show; guest appearance by prospective investor portrayed by pop idol and current Broadway star Nick Jonas notwithstanding. Yet, Katharine McPhee shone bright in her secondary storyline, bringing defiant joie de vivre to a karaoke cover of Adele's soulful earworm "Rumor Has It" at the close of the show. Nick Jonas got a moment in the musical spotlight, as well, in a self-played piano accompanied cover of Michael Buble's "Haven't Met You Yet". On the dramatic side of SMASH, the twists and turns of the theatre-centric musical series are beginning to create intriguing complexities for the individuals caught in the tumult - none the least being the budding romances between Derek (Jack Davenport) and Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty), but also the secret liaison rekindled of one half of the songwriting duo (Messing) and Joltin' Joe (Chase) himself. Plus, the other half of the team behind the Marilyn musical, Tom (Christian Borle), finally got his own romantic plotline and sudsy, soap-ish moment. It seems to be a prerequisite that each cast member have a post-coital scene at some point, so, one supposes Eileen (Anjelica Huston) and her ex husband, Jerry (Michael Cristofer), may re-team behind the scenes - or, maybe not. Eileen was given finest material of the night as far as I'm concerned and Huston's delicate portrayal of a woman conflicted was artful in its attentiveness and believability. She imbues the material with a grace and gravitas that few stars can consistently achieve as she has done throughout her career and continues to do so here on SMASH. Episode Four cleanly and clearly displayed the attributes we came to love about the pilot - natural integration of fabulous Marilyn-themed musical numbers into the drama, as in "Howl"; superlative new renditions of modern-day pop hits, such as "Rumor Has It"; and a specialty song or two, too, like Nick Jonas and his Michael Buble party accompaniment. While it did not break new ground as far as where the show is heading as a series like last week's show, this episode gave us an inkling of the entertainment experience coming in the next few weeks as we anticipate the arrival of many new and exciting guest stars, such as Bernadette Peters and Uma Thurman, in addition to the pain, passion, ecstasy and As for the rest of the drama, music and comedy, read on!

The Independent Reviewers of New England (IRNE) Awards recognize the extraordinary wealth of talent in the Boston theatre community, and this year's nominations have just been announced. IRNE Reviewers include among others David Brooks Andrews, Sheila Barth, Jules Becker, Kay Bourne, Beverly Creasey, Shirley Esthimer, Richard Fahey, Guy Giampapa, Norm Gross, Nancy Grossman, Bryce Lambert, Beatrice Lee, Kilian Melloy and Larry Stark.

"Baby, I would catch a grenade for you," as Bruno Mars wrote in his international smash hit song "Grenade", recently nominated for a Grammy, and, so, too, would Joe DiMaggio catch a grenade for Marilyn Monroe, and, maybe - just maybe - married Broadway star Michael Swift (Will Chase) will cross the line into the danger zone and rekindle his romance with former flame (similarly, married with children) Julia (Debra Messing), half of the songwriting team responsible for the spectacular musical-within-the-show on NBC's SMASH. Yes, the third episode of the new musical drama series was a much different experience from the first two shows, with Karen (Katharine McPhee)'s journey back home to Iowa - complete with down-home karaoke baby shower and Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" - and the introduction of Broadway star Will Chase's character and the subsequent exploration of his prior trysts with Julia, as well as detailing more of Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Derek (Jack Davenport)'s hot and heavy romance. So, too, did the dissolving marriage between the Marilyn musical's lead producer, Eileen (Anjelica Huston) and her ex (Michael Cristofer) see further shading, as did the trusting and caring coupling of Karen and Dev (Raza Jaffrey). Along with recurring guest stars Dylan Baker and Becky Ann Baker as Karen's supportive but speculative parents, "Enter Mr. DiMaggio" was a relationship-themed episode that reached its thematic, dramatic and musical apotheosis in the stunning new Marc Shaiman/Scott Wittman Marilyn musical composition, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith", ending the episode on a stylish and all-too-apropos note. A hard rock rendering of the aforementioned Bruno Mars pop hit "Grenade", as well as Karen's spirited country karaoke "Redneck Woman" were the other musical entertainments in an episode that showed that SMASH does, indeed, have legs - a Rockette-worthy line of them, actually - and this story can sustain more than a handful of episodes or, even, a season or two. Sure, this episode had a different feel than the first two, more Broadway-based shows, yet the series seems to be finding a rhythm that is particularly appreciable at this very, very early stage of the game. After all, the first two episodes of an hour-long adult drama such as SMASH usually set the scene for the series as a whole, if they even succeed at accomplishing that. So far, SMASH has already gone far beyond that, and, I promise, next week will be more along the lines of the first two entries, showcasing the simple fact that this tree has many, many branches and exceptionally deep roots supporting the strong core of central and supporting performers that make up its trunk. Episode Three was a gamble that largely paid off dramatically and thematically, and, wow, that final number was a home run hit truly worthy of a show billing itself as SMASH.

NBC has announced that select songs from tonight's third episode of NBC's new critically acclaimed musical drama series SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), will be available today from NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Columbia Records on the iTunes store.

On the Monday, February 20th episode of NBC's SMASH entitled 'Enter Mr. DiMaggio', the search begins for a Joe DiMaggio to play opposite Marilyn-but everyone's first choice, Michael (guest star Will Chase), has a secret. Karen (Katharine McPhee) returns to Iowa for a baby shower and must decide what she wants for her future. Eileen (Anjelica Huston) begins rounding up investors-but ex-husband Jerry (guest star Michael Cristofer) may already have poisoned the well. Check out three scenes from the upcoming episode below!

Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, has cancelled its premiere production of SOPHIE'S CHOICE based on the novel of the same name.

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, has announced that it has awarded nearly $200,000 in Audience Development grants, as part of The Opera Fund, to 16 U.S. opera companies.