By Lucy Komisar
It’s the Marilyn Monroe story, “Bombshell,” no really her story. Though it takes a while to figure that out. (Clues abound.) It starts in typical Broadway musical fashion, jazzy music, with Marilyn figure Ivy Lynn (Robyn Hurder), doing a dance number and singing “Let Me Be Your Star.” Seems cliché. But wait!
Director Nigel (Brooks Ashmanskas) asks, “Is the tempo too bright?” There ensues a mini-spat with the composer Jerry (John Behlmann) and lyricist Tracy (Krysta Rodriguez).
Jerry: “You’re doing that thing, Nigel.”
Tracy: “You’re phrasing statements as questions to create the
illusion that this is a collaboration.”
Because this is not a typical Broadway musical. In fact, it’s a delight as, with an insider’s perspective, it takes down the Broadway system, has a composer who is in therapy getting smashed at Sardi’s, an understudy Karen (the excellent Caroline Bowman) done in by a husband (Casey Garvin) targeting the star (channeling Betty Davis/”All About Eve”?) and a director (Brooks Ashmanskas) voted out of his job by his erstwhile colleagues. The real director, Susan Stroman, would not be voted out by anyone.
Among my favorites is the inimitable Kristin Nielsen, in a black shroud, who plays a “Method” coach so extreme that director Nigel describes her as “the dark muse, Darth Vader and the crypt keeper.” In a quip that some in the audience probably didn’t get, he talks about Ivy and Margaret Hamilton stirring their cauldron of verbs. Hamilton played the famous wicked witch of Oz in the 1939 film. (Yes, this is a comedy).
Nielsen as Susan Proctor, the acting coach from Actor’s Studio, has brain-washed Ivy into thinking she needs “motivations” for everything, which slows rehearsals to a crawl. She also stuffs her with pills.
It is an ingenious device to make Ivy as difficult as Marilyn Monroe was reputed to be. It helps if you are as immersed in Broadway lore as writers Bob Martin and Rick Elice are. The coach tells Nigel, “We’re meeting Ilya Kazan at El Morocco. Nigel replies, “He died, and the club closed 55 years ago.” Kazan was a founder of Actor’s Studio.
But everyone is worried when Marilyn (Lynn) doesn’t show up.
The in-jokes include Dirty Martinis: had to look that up, means adding the olive brine. And you must know the popular theater district restaurants, including Rosa Mexicana.
The opening night is filled with “influencers” whom Nigel calls “vindictive youths.” There’s a montage of them, chattering in podcasts, and don’t miss the nasty tweet from Julie Andrews. (If you need that explained, it’s too late.)
There’s some reality squeezed in. The Monroe character says, “I never met man who wasn’t on the prowl.” She visits Brooklyn with Arthur Miller (J. Savage) to meet his parents.
And there is a lot of typically good Broadway dancing (choreography by Joshua Bergasse), especially the second act Charlston opener, “Let’s Be Bad.” Robyn Hurder as Lynn/Marilyn can dance and sing with the best; her jazzy soprano takes over the stage.
The rest of the cast is also the top of Broadway talent. Krysta Rodriguez as the lyricist Tracey has a fine rich alto. Nicholas Matos is funny as an insufferable kid who is assistant to the producer, Anita (Jacqueline B. Arnold), because his father is a big investor.
The real producers of “Smash” – the program lists more than 50 — should do okay, too.
“Smash.” Book by Bob Martin & Rick Elice, music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Whittman and Marc Shaiman, directed by Susan Stroman. Imperial Theatre, 249 West 45th Street, NYC. Runtime 2hrs40min. Opened April 10, 2025, open run.