Spielberg's newest enterprise, "Smash" a television show on the behind the scenes drama of Broadway, has been getting a lot of hype lately. Some call the show Glee for adults, while others have nothing but praise. After watching the first two episodes, I have to say that the show falls somewhere in between the two. The plot focuses on the development of a new Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe and the people involved in the productrion. Although the original songs about Marilyn are enjoyable, the show itself is fairly predictable. One of the major plotlines is the fierce competition for the main role of Marilyn between seasoned blonde Broadway veteran, Ivy, and green but talented waitress, Karen. This show would be a lot better if the character of Karen wasn't such a cliche. Hailing from some small Midwestern town, she is hoping to make it on Broadway using her waifish charm and talented voice. While Katherine McPhee (Karen) can sing reasonable well, her acting skills pale in comparison to her co-stars. I can already picture the rest of the season: Karen and Ivy will continuously try to upstage one another in hopes of keeping the main role. At least one of them, if not both, will at some point sleep with the stern British director. In the end, some internal/personal issue will hinder one enough for the other to take the lead and become a new star on Broadway. This is the basic plotline for most musical dramas such as this.The show failed to entice me to tune in for the rest of the season.
This is not to say that the show doesn't have some really great things going for it. Academy Award winner, Anjelica Huston, is entertaining to watch as newly divorced producer. Debra Messing and Christian Borle play the hit-making writers of the show whose own personal dramas are more frankly more interesting than the predictable compeition between Karen and Ivy.
I am pretty disappointed at the lack of originality in the show but the premise of a Marilyn musical is enough to entice any theater junkie. Rather than the interest in the shows original plot and characters, the fascination with the Marilyn Musical is what will bring viewers back to this show every week.
This is not to say that the show doesn't have some really great things going for it. Academy Award winner, Anjelica Huston, is entertaining to watch as newly divorced producer. Debra Messing and Christian Borle play the hit-making writers of the show whose own personal dramas are more frankly more interesting than the predictable compeition between Karen and Ivy.
I am pretty disappointed at the lack of originality in the show but the premise of a Marilyn musical is enough to entice any theater junkie. Rather than the interest in the shows original plot and characters, the fascination with the Marilyn Musical is what will bring viewers back to this show every week.
No comments:
Post a Comment