NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 The glitzy, fictional Broadway musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe that formed the heart of the TV show 鈥淪mash鈥 will make the leap to an actual Broadway stage next season.
Producers said Wednesday that 鈥淪mash鈥 is slated for Broadway in the 2024-25 season, welcome news to many of the show's fans and the Broadway community who embraced its look at the inner workings of their industry.
鈥'Smash' is near and dear to my heart, and it was always my hope that a musical inspired by the show would eventually come to the stage,鈥 said lead producer Steven Spielberg in a statement.
The new book for 鈥淪mash鈥 will be co-written Tony-nominated Rick Elice, who penned 鈥淛ersey Boys,鈥 and Tony-winner Bob Martin, who won for 鈥淭he Drowsy Chaperone.鈥
No casting for the Broadway version was revealed. The series on NBC lasted two seasons starting in 2012 and starred Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan, Katharine McPhee, Leslie Odom Jr., Krysta Rodriguez, Christian Borle and Debra Messing. The songs included "鈥淗istory is Made at Night,鈥 鈥淟et Me Be Your Star鈥 and 鈥淗ang the Moon.鈥
Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, who wrote many of the songs for the TV show and whose credits include the Tony-winning score for the 2007 musical 鈥淗airspray,鈥 will continue with the stage adaptation, as will original choreographer Joshua Bergasse, who has gone on to choreograph 鈥淥n The Town鈥 and 鈥淕igi.鈥
In the series 鈥 created by playwright Theresa Rebeck, who left after the first season 鈥 viewers watched the long process of casting, composing, mounting and rehearsing a Broadway-bound musical, 鈥淏ombshell.鈥
In the second season, a gritty, low-tech off-Broadway show called 鈥淗it List鈥 competed with 鈥淏ombshell鈥 for the Tony Award. Since 鈥淗it List鈥 songs included writing credits for Drew Gasparini, Joe Iconis, Andrew McMahon, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul and Lucie Silvas 鈥 in addition to Shaiman and Wittman 鈥 it seems that the 鈥淗it List鈥 part of the fictional tale will not make it to 鈥淪mash鈥 on Broadway.
The new musical will be helmed by five-time Tony-winning director Susan Stroman. Robert Greenblatt and Neil Meron join Spielberg as lead producers.
鈥淓ver since the show ended in 2012, not a week goes by that someone doesn鈥檛 ask us when will they see Smash as a musical. We think we鈥檝e come up with something the die-hard series fans will love but that will also be exciting for people who never saw an episode of the show," Meron said in a statement.
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