‘Smash’ Sets Spring Broadway Opening, Cast To Include Robyn Hurder, Krysta Rodriguez, Brooks Ashmanskas, More
Smash, the new stage musical adaptation inspired by the cult favorite 2012 NBC TV series, will begin Broadway previews on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, at the Imperial Theatre, with an official opening on Thursday, April 10 and a cast that will include Robyn Hurder, Brooks Ashmanskas, Krysta Rodriguez, John Behlmann, Kristine Nielsen, Caroline Bowman, Jacqueline B. Arnold, Bella Coppola and Casey Garvin.
The dates and cast were announced today by producers Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg.
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Directed by five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman (The Producers), the company also will include 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 will be announced shortly.
Smash will include a score by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote over two dozen songs for the television show, many of which will be used in the musical in addition to new material they have written for the stage. The book is by Rick Elice and Bob Martin, with choreography by Joshua Bergasse, who choreographed the television series.
Greenblatt said in a statement, “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. 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.”
Meron said, “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. 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.”
Hurder (Moulin Rouge) will star as “Ivy”; Ashmanskas (The Prom) as “Nigel”; Rodriguez (Spring Awakening, Smash TV Series) as “Tracy”; Behlmann (Shucked) as “Jerry”; Nielsen (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike) as “Susan”; Bowman (Frozen Tour) as “Karen”; Arnold (Moulin Rouge) as “Anita”; Coppola (Six) as “Chloe”; and Garvin (Some Like It Hot) as “Charlie.”
In addition to Greenblatt, Meron and Spielberg, Jennifer Hudson, who appeared as a guest star on the TV series, recently joined the Broadway producing team.
Smash will feature scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costume design by Alejo Vietti, lighting design by Ken Billington, sound design by Brian Ronan, projection design by S Katy Tucker, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, dance and incidental music arrangements by Sam Davis and music supervision by Stephen Oremus.
Inspired by the TV series created by Theresa Rebeck, Smash is a behind-the-scenes story about the making of a Marilyn Monroe musical called Bombshell.
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