Yesterday, I had the exceptional privilege of talking to Oscar-winning stage and screen star Anjelica Huston and Broadway sensation Megan Hilty all about the new NBC musical series SMASH and their roles in it, and, while both their complete Spotlight On SMASH InDepth InterViews will be coming in full next week, we have some breaking news to share with you now that is certain to excite the many SMASH fans here on BroadwayWorld and beyond!
Katherine McPhee's character Karen on the NBC hit 'Smash' Karen sings to a group of pre-teens at a bar mitzvah in a clip form the March 12 episode. Check out the sneak peek video here!
On the March 12th episode of the NBC musical drama series SMASH entitled 'Chemistry', Ivy (Megan Hilty) faces major problems as her voice begins to fail her. Julia (Debra Messing) struggles to avoid Michael (guest star Will Chase) - but she can't. Eileen (Anjelica Huston) explores her inner hipster at a downtown dive bar with her new pAl Ellis (Jaime Cepero), while Karen (Katharine McPhee) is an even bigger fish out of water, as she books a side gig at a bar mitzvah on Long Island. Jack Davenport, Christian Borle, Raza Jaffrey and Brian d'Arcy James also star. Will Chase guest stars. The episode airs at 10:00 pm/ET on the NBC network.
Check out a clip from the episode below!
Packing more music per minute than any episode of the show since the pilot, last night's SMASH showed the ever-developing musical dramedy series finding its footing and delineating the many relationships and interrelationships of the onstage and backstage cast of characters that populate it - and, as always, the music made the night. Will Chase scored yet again with a soulful "Song For You"; McPhee emanated sultriness in her cover of James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's World"; and, in particular, Megan Hilty made the bawdiest and most big Broadway-sounding song from the Marilyn Monroe musical we have yet heard hit like Joe DiMaggio's bat when it met a meatball in the big 20th Century Fox production number we are sure to remember. When it comes to the musical numbers, SMASH is adult musical storytelling done exceptionally well with a precise, professional sheen. The story and characters have exhibited a lot of areas where they could go in future episodes, and, now, by the fifth episode, the style and music/drama formula is being perfected right before our eyes. What has resulted is that we are witnessing SMASH as a show finding its voice with all the world to hear - not an enviable position to be in, but that is the name of the game of a network TV gamble on the level of this. And, anyway, what sights and sounds we have to look forward to in the coming weeks as the Marilyn musical within the show begins to take a more tangible shape - and Bernadette Peters makes her SMASH debut in less than two weeks!
Select songs from tonight's new episode of the NBC 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 at http://www.itunes.com/NBCSmash.
NBC has released two new video previews from the Monday, March 5th episode of the musical drama series SMASH. In the first clip, Karen (Katharine McPhee) discovers what she 'brings to the party' in a sensual performance of James Brown's 'It's a Man's Man's Man's World'. In the second clip, Ivy (Megan Hilty) exudes Marilyn in her performance of 'Let's Be Bad', as rehearsal transforms into a Broadway fantasy.
In this Monday's episode of the NBC musical drama SMASH, guest star Will Chase's character, Michael attempts to win back the affections of his former love Julia, played by Debra Messing and serenades her with his version of Leon Russell's 'A Song For You'.
NBC has just released a sneak peek clip of next week's SMASH episode entitled 'Let's Be Bad'. In the episode, Derek asks Karen to demonstrate to Ivy the 'correct' way to sing 'Happy Birthday'. While Karen does her best not to anger the 'Marilyn Monroe' star, Ivy still gives her a glance that suggests, 'if looks could kill!'
Select songs from tonight's new episode of the critically acclaimed NBC 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
Broadway stars Nick Jonas and Wesley Taylor will be featured on the February 27th episode of NBC's SMASH. The episode is entitled 'The Cost of the Art' and will air at 10:00 pm/ET on the NBC network.
"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.
NBC has just released a behind-the-scenes video of the making of the SMASH upcoming episode 'Enter Mr. DiMaggio' which includes the original song 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith'. The video features Megan Hilty, who portrays an actress recently cast in the role of Marilyn Monroe in a fictional Broadway production, as well as Will Chase, whose character plays the role of Joe Dimaggio in the show.
On the upcoming fourth episode of the new NBC musical drama series SMASH, Katharine McPhee will perform Adele's Grammy-winning song 'Rumor Has It'. McPhee's character 'Karen' and her cast members from the fictional production of 'Marilyn' will take to the stage to perform the popular hit song.
With tonight's second episode broadcast of NBC's new critically acclaimed musical drama series SMASH (Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products and Columbia Records are making select songs available today on the iTunes store.
On the February 13th episode of NBC's new musical drama series SMASH entitled 'Callbacks', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursue the role of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Julia (Debra Messing) and her husband Frank (Brian d'Arcy James), are frustrated by the red tape of an international adoption process, and Eileen (Anjelica Huston) fights to finance her new musical in the midst of an acrimonious divorce. Christian Borle, Raza Jaffrey, and Jaime Cepero also star. The episode airs Monday, February 13th at 10:00 pm/ET.
I the video below, SMASH star Katharine McPhee chats about the new series with Jimmy Fallon on 'The Late Show.' Click below to check it out!
On the February 13th episode of NBC's new musical drama series SMASH entitled 'Callbacks', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursue the role of a lifetime. Meanwhile, Julia (Debra Messing) and her husband Frank (Brian d'Arcy James), are frustrated by the red tape of an international adoption process, and Eileen (Anjelica Huston) fights to finance her new musical in the midst of an acrimonious divorce. Christian Borle, Raza Jaffrey, and Jaime Cepero also star. The episode airs Monday, February 13th at 10:00 pm/ET.
On the February 13th episode of NBC's new musical drama series SMASH entitled 'Callbacks', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursue the role of a lifetime.
On the next episode of NBC's SMASH entitled 'Callbacks', Ivy (Megan Hilty) and Karen (Katharine McPhee) jump through hoops for the brilliant but temperamental director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) as they pursue the role of a lifetime. Check out a just released photo of the duo below!