If only to keep the Glee kids employed sometime in the future I hope Smash sticks around a couple of seasons. Still I wasn’t sure how much I would enjoy this show. Sure I’m a fan of Glee but when the singing wears I can look out the window awhile and wait for the singing to stop and the drama to start. I was expecting Fame and pleased to note how little time I spent looking out the window.
This is an all around solid show in the same vein as Studio 60 and Slings and Arrows(recognizes he’s name dropping a show canceled before its second season and a Canadian dramedy that Americans didn’t watch) It’s a behind the scenes look at how Broadway works. Where’s Mickey Rooney (checks to see if Mickey Rooney is dead planned reference might be in poor taste if he is. forgets especially profane Mickey Rooney reference. proceeds with standard Mickey Rooney reference) and the Barn when you need him. I’m still waiting for that special episode of Glee where they perform the songs of the Little Rascals and Friends. (realizes you’re on the internet and you can search these references. proceeds to drop the obscure reference bomb) “Love Bug” gots some legs for an obscure song no one’s heard of, but Barber of Seville would likely be completely lost to the smartphone and tablet generation. Ostensibly about the nuts and bolts of Broadway we get to watch how something like Miss Saigon is staged from initial idea to debut performance.
We have Debra Messing and Some Guy(decides not to find out name of Some Guy and others. insists you focus on two more memorable names); they are the creative force behind the future phenomon Marilyn. Yeah it’s lite and I really would rather watch a Bugsy Malone revival before shelling out a hundy to watch a live musical about Marilyn Monroe, but that’s the premise. Thankfully Debra Messing is not the shrill idiot I remember from Will&Grace and Ned&Stacy. We get the movie Debra Messing who is a bright and vibrant actress who despite having impeccable comic timing doesn’t have to spout one liner after one liner; I’m excited she gets to play smart for a change. From a suggestion to a song the episode progresses where we meet the money.
Anjelica Huston is a treasure and it is a crime that she isn’t forced to slave on network television for our amusement. She snaps into her first scene like a shark and owns every moment she’s onscreen. I might say something like she steals the show but she’s no child or animated character. A professional actor can gracefully allow others to share their scenes without upstaging anyone. This she does without any apparent effort. The rest of the cast is adequate but I’m not going to ask too see more from Some English Guy when I can have Huston or Messing paint pictures in my mind.
Given that this show’s got some things going for it let’s talk about the central problem of this effort. It’s simple and fundamental and it can’t be fixed. If it gets picked up for next season it’s going to need about 23 episodes for a season. This show has great veteran actors good enough that we’ll watch them eating sandwiches for a while if the writers need some filler, but I can’t see this going that long. How many episodes of Messing and Huston casting Marilyn will we want to watch? I can say four but that’s only because the two actresses vying for that role Some Blonde American and Brunette Ingenue are amazing singers and they’re easy on the eyes to boot. If you like the unpfront ample and backside beeping Some Blonde American will do it for you. If you’d like to watch fresh eyed innocence slowly corrupt to fame, Brunette Ingenue has that covered. But how many episodes of this can we watch? I hate having to sit through at least 3 filler shows on Glee before they get to Sectionals. It’s not working on that fundamental level and there isn’t an easy fix to it. I’m half a mind to hope that this show doesn’t get picked up for a full season. I’d rather see 12 episodes as a midseason replacement next year. Or the better idea would be to split the season in half and do one in Spring and one in Fall/Winter. I love the idea of Smash doing a hip hop revival of White Christmas/Holiday Inn. Granted there are some writing fixes. Introduce a new character here or there, that’s at least two episodes done; if the guest actor is big enough schedule that arc for sweeps week. You can extend it further by including plots that take place after the show opens. You can throw wrenches at them; every wrench is an episode but after a couple of them we’re going to wise up to it. And these writing fixes basically disembowel the elegance of the show itself. It’s about a Broadway show from idea to stage. It’s a very simple premise that deserves perfect execution. That said I have hopes for this show; but then I had hopes for the Lakers Dream Team of Kobe, Shaq, and Malone. Three Hall of Famers questing for a title only to fail due to fundamental personality differences. Let’s hope Smash figures out a more effective solution than Phil Jackson did.
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