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But its much more compellingly on display in the shows long, storied, and turbulent production history.
You would think a musical predicated on mess might have a better sense of humor about its own existence.
The shows first season, run by Theresa Rebeck, was chaotic in strange and enthralling ways.
and Rick Elice, makes the mistake of trying to button up the madness.
(The songwriter played by Krysta Rodriguez does wear scarves.)
That concept sounds funny in theory but leads only to kids and their phones!
All of this is because of you!
Nigel announces to his songwriters.
You gave her a book!
That joke might be fine if everyone inSmashwere a maniac.
Dont you wish you could date the hot ones?
She also has pretty much no characterization to work with.
Her becoming a contender for stardom is framed as an empowering twist.
When the shows so uninterested in telling us anything else about her, its merely condescending.
The attention on Chloe is just another hurdleBombshells creative team stumbles through.
Ah, the drama, the laughter, the tears, just like pearls!
Im a sucker for a self-referential theatrical tale.
Give me anAll That Jazzor a42ndStreetand Im happy.
But in the version ofSmashthat made it to the stage, the magic flickers out.
The ingredients are all there, yet the theatrical bread never rises.
Did someone say the name of the Scottish Play backstage?
Do good musicals appear only to the pure of heart?
Musicals, even great ones,areridiculous.
People spend millions of dollars on concepts like What if the Founding Fathers rapped?
Funnily enough, back inSmashs open workshops last year, theshow endedin a major characters death.
That is, to be clear,an insane way to end a musical comedy.
Smashis at the Imperial Theatre.
