Playbill: Smash fans, get excited, because Bombshell is on Broadway at last—well, at least part of it. Smash and Some Like It Hot songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman have given one song written for the fictional Marilyn Monroe musical, "Let's Be Bad," its official Broadway debut interpolated into the score of Some Like It Hot. The duo revealed the news on social media, but we had to know more.
3 comments:
I am a Katherine McPhee fan, but I did not watch Smash. I meant to, it was on my list, but Glee was on at the same time, and I only had enough capacity for one singing show. I had heard about Bombshell being turned into a real musical for Broadway. It now sounds like they are incorporating some of the framing device that is Smash, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out. Hopefully, its not too much like Six where they hit you over the head with the framing device in the last fifteen minutes of the show. However, what I feel we should be talking about is Mathew Lopez and Amber Ruffin wrote the book for Some Like it Hot. Mathew has been enjoying success off of The Inheritance and Amber was killing it on Seth Meyers’s talk show. I love her comedy style and I am so excited that she’s going to flex those creative musicals for a show like this. I hope it turns out great.
I have to say when I hear about this musical, I was disappointed that an old movie was being retold on the Broadway stage. But with the lead now a Black Jazz singer and a book by Amber Ruffin I am much more excited about it. I will say, I am also a major Smash fan, particularly of the music. I thought it was so catchy and fun while also being complex and filled with excellent lyrics. While this new version of “Let’s Be Bad” will be different than the original, it sounds like the melody will remain consistent which is awesome. I am also very excited about mentions of the musical maybe ending up on Broadway sometime soon, which I know I and my high school theatre friends would just love to see. I hope they also rework that production as I see they have done with this one, but at least the bones seem like they’re a good place to start.
I got tickets for Some Like it Hot as soon as I possibly could. This was firstly because I am a huge Christian Borle fan. But as more got revealed about the show, I am continually becoming more and more excited to see it beyond just Christian. I have been consistently frustrated with the mediocrity and popularity of movie-to-musical adaptations on Broadway. There are gems, yes, so I am hoping that Some Like It Hot is one of these gems. The graphic design is unique, artistic, and beautiful, which to me, is a big tell as to the quality of the show. You can tell that this is an adaptation and not just a retelling, especially with Sugar being a Black Jazz singer. From the songs I’ve heard so far (the title number and “A Darker Shade of Blue”), Shaiman and Wittman have created a very catchy, varied, and bold score. In my opinion, the score in an adaptation is the absolute lifeblood of it. So, that brings us to “Let’s Be Bad.” A songwriter using their OWN song in something else is perfectly legal. I actually don’t view the incorporation of “Let’s Be Bad” as a cop-out. Not only is it a good song (and a well-liked song - I am a big fan of Smash), but it literally was ABOUT Marylin Monroe. If it was written for something completely out of left field, then it could be questionable. I’m seeing it Thanksgiving weekend and I could not be more excited - for the cast, Amber Ruffin, the design team, and the already solid story. You know how there are those shows that you just know are gonna be good? This is one of them for me.
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