The long-awaited stage version of the TV musical series Smash has found a Broadway home. Smash the musical will play at the Imperial Theatre, where performances will begin March 11, 2025 ahead of an April 10 opening night.
But that's not all. The production has also revealed initial casting. Leading the company will be Robyn Hurder (Moulin Rouge!) as Ivy and Caroline Bowman as Karen; Bowman will depart the current revival of Sunset Boulevard, where she is the standby for Norma Desmond. The musical will feature a score by Tony, Emmy and two-time Grammy winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote over two dozen songs for the television series, many of which will be used for the stage show (alongside new compositions). The show also released a teaser, which can be viewed below.
The cast will also feature Brooks Ashmanskas (The Prom) as Nigel, Krysta Rodriguez (Spring Awakening) as Tracy, John Behlmann (Shucked) as Jerry, Kristine Nielsen (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) as Susan, Jacqueline B. Arnold (Moulin Rouge!) as Anita, Bella Coppola (Six) as Chloe, and Casey Garvin (Some Like It Hot) as Charlie.
Other cast members will be Wendi Bergamini, Sarah Bowden, Jacob Burns, Deanna Cudjoe, Chelle Denton, Daniel Gaymon, Merritt David Janes, Megan Kane, David Paul Kidder, Ian Liberto, Libby Lloyd, McGee Maddox, Connor McRory, J Savage, Jake Trammel, and Katie Webber. Additional casting, by Bernard Telsey and Kristian Charbonier, is to be announced.
Though the NBC TV series featured a cavalcade of Broadway favorites in the cast, Rodriguez is the only stage cast member who appeared on the original series, though in a different role. The series, which was created by Theresa Rebeck, aired on NBC for two seasons from 2012 to 2013. It followed composing duo Julia and Tom, loosely modeled on Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, creating a musical about screen icon Marilyn Monroe. The first season followed the fight for the lead role between newcomer Karen Cartwright and seasoned chorus girl Ivy Lynn. The stage musical will follow the process of creating Bombshell, but is expected to otherwise depart from the series' specific plot points.
After NBC cancelled Smash, plans were in the works to transform the TV show into a stage musical. As reported in 2022, this included a shift from a production of Smash's fictional Marilyn Monroe bio-musical Bombshell (which did play a one-night-only benefit concert for the then-Actors Fund in 2015) to a musical adaptation of the series itself. Though many of the songs they wrote for the series will be used in the stage show, it's unclear if Shaiman and Wittman's up-tempo "Let's Be Bad," written for Smash but now interpolated into the score of Some Like It Hot (currently touring the U.S.), will be included—though the duo left room for that possibility when speaking to Playbill in 2022.
READ: It's Our Little Secret: Peeking Behind The Curtain of Broadway-Bound Smash Musical
Tickets are currently on sale for Smash the musical for American Express Card Members via a pre-sale at Telecharge.com. A fan pre-sale (with registration at SmashBroadway.com) will begin October 25 at 10 AM ET, with general sales beginning October 28 at 10 AM ET.
Five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman is directing, with Joshua Bergasse continuing his work from the NBC series as choreographer. The new musical will feature a book by Rick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher) and Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone).
Newly revealed creative team members include scenic designer Beowulf Boritt, costume designer Alejo Vietti, lighting designer Ken Billington, sound designer Brian Ronan, projection designer S Katy Tucker, orchestrator Doug Besterman, dance and incidental music arranger Sam Davis, and music supervisor Stephen Oremus.
Smash is being produced by Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron, and Steven Spielberg, all of whom worked on series as well. Also on the producing team is EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson, who appeared as a guest star on an episode in the series' second season.
"Neil, Steven, and I are elated to announce that Smash is definitely coming to Broadway this season, a dozen years after the series ended on NBC!" says Greenblatt in a statement. "We always knew Shaiman & Wittman’s fantastic score belonged on Broadway, and our show is a clever, funny adaptation of the series—with a few surprises—that we hope will delight die-hard fans as well as anyone who didn’t see the series."
"Working with our incomparable director, Susan Stroman, our first-class bookwriters, Rick Elice and Bob Martin, and our original series choreographer, Josh Bergasse, has been a joy," adds Meron. "This dream team has created the quintessential new musical about the rollercoaster ride of creating a new musical. (Very meta!) And it not only sends Broadway up, but sends Broadway a big love letter at the same time."
Visit SmashBroadway.com.