CMU School of Drama


Thursday, January 19, 2012

‘Smash’ on NBC, About Broadway, With Katharine McPhee

NYTimes.com: DECADES before his elaborate film productions like “E.T.” and “Saving Private Ryan,” Steven Spielberg cut his teeth as a high school stage manager in Phoenix, feeding lines to forgetful actors in “Guys and Dolls” and trying to keep the members of a large “Brigadoon” cast from turning into bumper cars. Backstage drama provided the first adrenaline rush of his career, he said, and always struck him as good material. So much so that, a few years ago, Mr. Spielberg began shopping around a television series set on Broadway, but he met with rejection from HBO (where he made “Band of Brothers”) and the broadcast networks.

3 comments:

skpollac said...

I have seen previews for this show for quite some time now. I wasn't sure, however, exactly what the show was about. I am pleased to hear that someone is trying to open the world's eyes to Broadway. Of course, we all know Glee by now, but this seems to have a much more adult and realistic feel to it. Being a Carnegie Mellon School of Drama student, I have no actual hopes of having time to watch the show but wish it the best of luck.

Page Darragh said...

I think the new show "Smash" will give a glimpse of real world broadway that the average person has never seen before. Most people don't realize what it s like in the trenches of auditions nor do they relate to the disappointment of rejection on a sometimes daily if not hourly basis. I think this show will not only be fun to watch, but I think it will spark more interest in people wanting to see live shows. Having some real theatre community involved with the show will make it more authentic too. Seeing how much people have enjoyed Glee, I would bet that this show is an even bigger hit.

DPswag said...

I really enjoy the idea of bringing the stage to the television audience. I think that TV is more accessible to audiences at large, and by bringing the theatrical process to them, it'll help to essentially broaden the theater fan base as well as those searching for good television. Theater and the process behind it is definitely something worth watching unfold into what becomes the full-fledged production, and I think this show will help viewers at home appreciate all the work that goes into a stage show and therefore encourage them to actually go out and see live theater.