Smash – 11 May 2025

Although many expect Smash to simply be a fun, comedic musical that’s pure entertainment, I found myself puzzling through some broader themes that came to light in the process of this musical about making a musical. Smash, as I see it, is less about big theatrical numbers with great choreography and diva moments and more about power dynamics: in a theatrical context, who has power over what happens on stage? The performers? The director? The investors? The writers? The critics (or, in this case, social media influencers)? Does the intern have any power at all? What does it truly mean to make theater, and is it the collaborative process that we (particularly those of us who are privileged enough to have at some point in our lives treasured being involved in it) think that it is?

The story follows a leading lady, Ivy Lynn (Robyn Hurder) through a hellish transformation as method acting destroys her ability to be herself, taking with it her ability to be kind and considerate to everyone in her world. It particularly soured her relationship with the cast and creative team of Bombshell, the fictional musical in which she is about to originate the role of Marilyn Monroe on Broadway. Her deep dive partially arises when writer Tracy (Krysta Rodriguez) gives her a book, and she soon seeks out the author, Susan Proctor (Kristine Nielsen), to be her acting coach. From there, she alienates the director, Nigel (Brooks Ashmanskas) and Associate Director, Chloe (Bella Coppola), and others, including the producer, Anita (Jacqueline B. Arnold), composer, Jerry (John Behlmann), and her understudy, Karen (Caroline Bowman).  When Ivy decides to disappear for the invited dress rehearsal and Karen is indisposed, Chloe goes on for Marilyn. The wild card is intern, Scott (Nicholas Matos), who has invited social media influencers, who interpret Ivy’s return as body shaming and create enough bad vibes to eventually tank the show. All of the ridiculous antics of the leading lady and leading lady wannabes, the totally incompetent director, the dedicated associate and stage manager, Holly (Megan Kane), the pull of the investors, the marital and alcohol problems of the writers—it all means nothing in terms of who decides the production’s fate. In today’s world, it is the buzz that decides whether or not people want to see it that determines a production’s ability to sell tickets.

As a self-proclaimed theatre person, I find that sad. And yet, when I walked out of the theater past all those marquees, I took a look at today’s theater landscape and I saw it. Everyone is leaning on content that already has fans and followers to uplift their production. New work is outlandishly difficult to sell, so we don’t have much original content on Broadway. In a sense, Smash is the truest, most factually accurate show that’s currently on a Broadway stage. It’s just true. There are people who understudy their whole life and miss their chance. There are people willing to leave their jobs for a forbidden romance. There are people who want to be a star so desperately that they will throw their whole lives away—pop pills, alienate their friends, and lose themselves just for a chance to be front and center. There are writers who give seven years of their lives to a play that closes to soon. And there are kids with cell phones who catch something out of context and post it. There are lots of words for them in real life, but book writers Bob Martin and Rick Elice deliberately choose the word “influencer” to make a point—even those who have nothing to do with the creation of a story have influence on how that story is viewed. Content gets shared. People get followed. But, most importantly, ideas get amplified. In the show, it’s the idea that Chloe got fired from playing Marilyn Monroe due to body shaming from the production team. It’s really far from the truth—Chloe was never cast in that role, and she doesn’t want it. But someone thought of it. Others amplified it. And all of the murky negativity from the social media influencers took down a damn good show.

In addition to the thoughtful thematic gold, Smash does indeed boast high production value, stunning design elements, great choreography, powerful ballads, incredible performances, and an easy to follow, easy to enjoy story. It’s a show that will make you think if you want to, but will also let you sit back in your seat and smile if you let it. There’s lots of wonderful theatre being made here. The ending is a little heavy handed, but the orchestrations are incredible and it’s a thoroughly enjoyable experience. To put it simply, Smash is stunning; it surprised me with it’s depth and also delivered a beautiful performance.

I did not attend this performance on a press pass.