SMASH: Not Your Little Sister's Musical
A story of a small-town girl dreaming of a big Broadway success.
by:It’s a drama series of a show within a show, and there will definitely be parallels between the starring role and the lives of the young Broadway hopefuls. Expect all the intrigue and drama of the theater world set to the soaring anthems of Broadway musicals and punctuated by dance sequences on stage and in rehearsal rooms.
Katharine McPhee plays Karen Cartwright, an aspiring actress who waits tables to make a living while she goes on auditions. She has to convince her parents that living in New York is worth it while convincing casting panels that her voice and girl-next-door demeanor are worth putting onstage. McPhee and Karen tread similar lives too. We met Katharine McPhee as a beautiful girl with a voice as soulful as her eyes in the 5th season of American Idol. Finishing as a runner-up, she has since released three albums and has done some acting on TV and the big screen. As Karen, she has to prove that like Norma Jean Baker, she can portray the vulnerable sex symbol, Marilyn Monroe.
Bringing new life to Marilyn Monroe on Broadway, Julia Houston is the lyricist and co-creator of the musical in SMASH. She had planned to take a year off to adopt a child, but is slowly drawn back to the stage. Julia is played by Debra Messing, famous for her roles, Grace Adler in Will&Grace and Molly Kagan, The Starter Wife. We meet her complaining that everyone's doing remakes and no one's writing new musicals, but finds herself bewildered when she, as one half of a creative pair, will reintroduce Marilyn Monroe to a generation that may not recognize her except for a billowing skirt and a sultry birthday greeting.
There's bound to be more drama behind the scenes in Smash. It will definitely capture the hearts especially those who loved the story of the talented underdog finally getting her big break. And how can anyone resist a good song?
SMASH premieres February 9 at 9pm as part of 2nd Avenue's Newest in the US.
