名声大噪 第一季 Smash Season 1(2012)
简介：
- 百老汇，一个充满了梦想和希望的地方，有些人的名字在这里被永远篆刻在荣誉碑上，而另一些人，则只能在黑暗中品尝着梦想破碎的滋味独自饮泣。汤姆（克里斯蒂安·鲍勒 Christian Borle 饰）和茱莉亚（黛博拉·梅辛 Debra Messing 饰）决定制作一部有关玛丽莲·梦露的音乐剧，此消息一经放出，立刻就吸引了公众的目光，各路人马犹如闻到了鱼腥味的猫咪一般纷至沓来。
演员：
影评：
- 本着对音乐剧的热爱开始看此剧，发现了很多熟人，废话不多说直接上介绍
Tom Levitt（作曲家）——饰演者Christian Borle
音乐剧目：
Spamalot 火腿骑士，Legally Blonde 律政俏佳人，Jesus Christ Superstar 耶稣基督万世巨星，Amour爱，Mary Poppins 欢乐满人间，Thoroughly Modern Millie……
奖项：tony、drama desk提名，clarence derwent award、Broadway.com Audience Award获奖
必须八卦一下，他的前妻是Sutton Foster！两届tony获得者，非常著名的百老汇diva
Christian Borle表演视频：（legally blonde）
（强烈推荐，左边那位就是他的前妻sutton foster，那是他们还在一起）
Ivy Lynn——饰演者Megan hilty
音乐剧目：wicked，9 to 5（OBC）
她最著名的音乐剧角色就是wicked里面的glinda，是继Kristin Chenoweth后最受欢迎的glinda饰演者
表演视频：
Linda（舞台监督那位亚裔女士）——饰演者ann harada
音乐剧目：Avenue Q， 9 to 5，seussical，悲惨世界，children of eden……
最著名的角色是Avenue Q里面的Christmas eve
奖项：Broadway.com Audience Award，Outer Critics Circle Special Achievement Award获奖
表演视频：
Eills Boyd（讨人厌的小助理）——饰演者Jaime Cepero
音乐剧目：Jesus Christ Supersta，hair，the bubbly black girl，sheds her chameleon skin
此演员不仅会唱歌，而且十分擅长跳舞，smash的编导一点都没用到人家的长处，还让他讨人厌了一整季
表演视频：
Dev（Karen男友）——饰演者Raza Jaffrey
音乐剧目：孟买梦，芝加哥，妈妈咪呀
他是孟买梦伦敦西区的原版卡司，深受好评
还记得第12集的那段非常莫名其妙的宝莱坞吗，据说那一段的目的纯粹是为了让他唱歌……
表演视频：（chicago片段 网友现场偷拍）
Frank Houston（Julia老公）——饰演者Brian d'Arcy James
音乐剧目：Time Stands Still，Next to Normal，Shrek the Musical（怪物史莱克），The Apple Tree，The Lieutenant of Inishmore，Dirty Rotten Scoundrels，Sweet Smell of Success，Titanic，Carousel，Blood Brothers
他是音乐剧怪物史莱克百老汇原版中史莱克的饰演者，同时也是音乐剧泰坦尼克号的百老汇原版卡司，smash中他好像就唱过几句，简直大大的浪费
表演视频：
下面说几个大牌客场
Ivy的妈妈Leigh Conroy——饰演者Bernadette Peters
百老汇女王！7次tony提名2次获奖，8次drama desk提名3次获奖！
熟悉百老汇的应该没有人不知道她吧，出演过的剧目一大堆，音乐剧大师桑德海姆的御用
我随便列几个她出演过的剧目：song and dance（tony获奖），into the woods，Annie Get Your Gun (tony获奖)，Sunday in the Park with George，Mack & Mabel……
Lyle west——饰演者Nick Jonas
大部分人知道他应该是因为Jones brothers，不过人家也是混百老汇长大的，童星时还可爱，但是长大了唱功和演技也没见长，放音乐剧里实在太弱，尤其是在悲惨世界25周年演唱会上饰演马吕斯的杯具表现，获得封号“小神马”
演出剧目：悲惨世界（小时候演伽弗洛徐 长大了演马吕斯），音乐之声，美女与野兽，how to succeed in business without really trying（此剧在他担纲演出期间在百老汇关门大吉了）……
Michael Swift——饰演者will chase
音乐剧目：rent（吉屋出租），miss saigon（西贡小姐），秘密花园，蜘蛛女之吻，Billy Elliott，the story of my life……
他最最让人熟悉的角色应该是rent百老汇告别秀里的roger，他演出过的剧目非常多，所以不怎么样的作品也很多。。。不过他在smash里好歹唱了几首，算此次唱得多的了。
戏里Julia在怪物史莱克老公和roger之间纠结，戏外Julia的演员Debra messing约会的对象正是will chase
Eileen找的投资人randy cobra——饰演者Terrence Mann
音乐剧目：猫，悲惨世界，美女与野兽，亚当斯家族，洛基恐怖秀，the scarlet pimpernel，lennon……
这位大叔出场不多但来头很大，他是两大音乐剧猫、悲惨世界的百老汇原版卡司，在悲惨世界里饰演沙威，在猫里饰演tugger，曾获两次tony提名
还有一位大牌客串Uma Thurman，但她是电影圈的，而且太有名大家都知道，我就不介绍了~
除了以上人物之外，tom的约会对象sam，Ivy和Karen身边出场最多的几名舞者和伴唱Bobby、Jessica等也全都是货真价实的百老汇演员，个个拉出来都是能歌善舞的专业人士。
总之这部剧卡司可谓人才济济，十分强大，结果被坑爹的编导搞得如此狗血，看在原创歌舞不错的份上打个4星。
最后其实我只想说，看看这些帮你跑龙套打酱油的的演员的资历，再搭上一个艾美视后（Julia/Debra messing），一个奥斯卡影后（Eileen/Anjelica Huston），一个英伦大帅哥，Karen你好意思么，情何以堪，情！何！以！堪！呀！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！ - Smash最终话在我的射手播放器放完的瞬间，我咬了咬嘴唇，二话不说点击播放器右上角的叉叉，然后关机去睡觉，拒绝任何的念想。
我不能想起Ivy落寞的背影，凝固的惨笑，和失魂落魄的眼神。
她的样子和无数个失败的自己重合在一起，只要任何一个悲伤的碎片偷溜入脑海，便不禁双眼含泪。
让我们来做这样一个假设。
假设Ivy技不如人如何？
K和I究竟孰好孰坏，其实是一个见仁见智的事情。如果Ivy比Karen强，我反而不会难过，因为她总会发光，even crazy dreams come true.
但是，如果，我说如果，如果Ivy真的不如Karen呢？
我喜欢Ivy，从来都是因为她努力。
当我因为各种原因没有接到Boss的电话，又因为各种疏忽浪费了大好机遇的时候，我听到Ivy对Karen说: You didn’t want it enough. You didn’t fight hard enough. You didn’t
put enough on the line.那一段是全剧我最喜欢的台词。
“karen美丽聪明苗条声线好，但是Ivy指责得很对，她的投入不够。她的梳妆镜上没有贴满梦露的照片，她也没像Ivy发疯地效仿梦露的一颦一笑。在很多事情上Obsession是重要的，疯魔了青衣，才构成名声大噪。”
这段话大概是一个月前自己写的，现在看来，充满了讽刺。
讽刺什么？
讽刺就是，努力无用。
如果Ivy是才能比不上Karen，这才是让我一想起来就流泪的悲剧。
I wanted it enough. I put it enough on the
line. But, I failed.
如果说Karen的天真在于本性纯良，那么Ivy的天真就是她真的以为努力付出就可以成功。为了玛丽莲之梦，她做尽了该做的和不该做的事情，可是她还是淘汰出局，只是因为导演脑中的一些幻想。或许唯一的选择，真的是一把药片。
从学校走向社会，我才真的发现读书是一件很快乐的事情，因为它是你自己可以控制的。你努力了多少，就可以收获多少。但是现实社会中的事情却完全不是如此，很多非常偶然的因素，可能摧毁并抵消你所有的付出。
太多的事情，不是你尽力就能得到的。而你没有得到，也不能证明你不够好。
但承认自己的才能无法用努力来弥补，实在是太痛苦了。
我也不是多么饱经沧桑，但也不再是纯粹的学生。从很久以前起，我就再也不信“努力就会成功”这种神话了。假如这部剧走的是这个套路，我一定会像glee一样一集弃。之所以看到现在，就是爱它的现实，和它的复杂。
有人说Ivy的失败在于她不自信，心态不好。
我觉得K心态好是因为她是新人，没有什么好失去的，她是9点的朝阳，一切只会越来越好，即使没有玛丽莲她也已经有很多成功的机会；而I在圈子里摸爬滚打多年被合唱团削去了光芒，这个角色是她唯一的希望。她们的心理素质或者说心态有可比性吗？
Ivy不是心态不好，是奋战多年的她已经输不起了。
毕竟自信是新人的奢侈。
K现在还只是Norma Jean，Ivy才有着梦露内心的成熟、纯真和敏感。
第二季我想要看到证明自己才是musical女王的你！ - 因为赞美懒得写，板砖不吐不快，LZ的这东西已经变成乱弹Smash歌舞了。
先说明，LZ不评剧情（不过欢迎讨论啦），因为LZ一直很淡定地面对一切歌舞片里操蛋剧情——当然脑残如隔壁台的某的确是有点那啥了——歌舞为主，有好剧情自然好，但也是锦上添花。
EP01
National pass time
整个剧第一次呈现的歌舞片段，Baseball舞，Ivy的歌舞能力得到充分发挥。但回到歌舞本身演绎得略显艳俗过头了的感觉，唱腔上比较多气音，嗲得可以，舞蹈的话也是，红裙之下肉感炸弹的轰炸实在是相当的……性感过头的感觉。但技术上也没什么挑剔的，是定位有点过火了。
Beautiful
EP01竭力打造Ivy和Karen的红白玫瑰的感觉，因此选择这首Beautiful拿手励志歌，CA脑残粉当然表示这不及原版（你够了），Karen缺失了CA声音里的力度感，而且还有明显修音的痕迹。
EP02
Call Me
我只能说，吼得不错的K歌嘛。在选秀中这是中上水平，但真的演出的话……拜托那是首快歌，而且节奏很强的快歌，站桩似的不动的确有损台风，Karen需要努力的方向是与观众互动以及气氛调动。
20th Century Fox Mambo
这是被浪费了的一次表演，估计想要说的是刚改名进入娱乐圈的梦露，然后整个表演的感觉是想要把丑小鸭打造成女王的变化过程拍出来，所以有了练功服到华服的转变。
但是回到表演本身，怎么说呢，一开始Karen的青涩过头了：歌唱上，音都准了，但是毫无感情更无技巧，纯属平铺直叙，有好几句歌词明明有发挥空间的，例如反复出现的“20th Century Fox Mambo”可以选择用不同的音质去唱，而“I could do it clothed or undress”“Make it up, shake it up”这两句应该更虚更薄一点，不要从头到尾一个调子，好在，在换了华服之后的演唱就立马就生动起来了。而舞蹈上，Karen长得太高，高个子女生其实跳得好会非常好看——谁不喜欢高挑大长腿——但对于初学者来说死穴是重心没放低，而且Karen还有另外一个毛病：姿态过于僵硬，抖肩的动作实在是惨不忍睹，像是一块洗衣板在左右晃啊晃。Ivy在National pass time里面就抖得自然多了。
EP04
Rumor Has It
我最喜欢的《21》里面的一首歌啊！但我的感觉是，这首歌不仅做得比不上原版千分之一，甚至还不如隔壁台Glee的那首Mash up。将这首歌放在私下练习的场合，舞台简陋得可以，然后还是Karen的跳舞！如果和旁边的Bobby小哥比较差距就非常明显了，两个缺点：一是不自然，她在队列里面的时候很容易就会把四肢缩起来，二是发力点不对，跳舞不是平均发力的，要有力点，而这就是我为什么一直觉得这姑娘很违和的原因。
EP07
LZ没坑，LZ回来写新鲜出炉的第七集了。
这集两个女主，Karen的唱腔一如既往地直来直往，这集换成唱点小曲儿效果比之前吼歌好多了（我是有多不喜欢她吼K歌啊），而这集的Ivy也不是很在状态，（渣男导演在批她神游其实有道理）虽然重唱的原创歌串烧比起Karen版本加了很多俏皮的花样，但其实没唱到点子上（我最喜欢还是她Let's be bad那场，这次没拿出来），最后那首Joe的SOLO直接做了花瓶……
但这些都不是最要紧的，这集里面的亮点绝对是Will Chase的On Lexington & 52nd Street啊嗷嗷嗷！
唱功上乘，情感非常饱满，和剧情配合度简直是满分！最后那滴眼泪简直狠狠击中了无数妞渴望被痴情情种追求的少女情怀而忘了那是个抢人老婆的有妇之夫！（包括LZ）
这一段完全是用歌声在演戏，歌声里透露出来的情感饱满而且多样，这首歌里的对别人窥视梦露的愤怒，七年之痒的无力挽回，以及和梦露渐行渐远的伤感都有表现到，而且这些都和剧情有微妙的对应。（传说中的戏中戏？）我觉得不少百老汇演员比大部分唱流行的强的地方在于他们的处理唱段的方法总能让你感受到他们的情感。（也许是因为他们的唱腔比较夸张？LZ是外行不知道……）之前各集的Joe各种没有存在感，最后谢幕（？）的时候瞬间爆发了啊！
EP08
这集主要的歌舞部分就算Karen的Touch Me啦。
其实这段LZ刚看的时候觉得不差，整体舞台配合度很好，Ryan的客串是亮点，Karen的表现也过得去（虽然她就只会站在床上挥舞双手）。
但是……当听到后面渣导和作曲家对剧情的争执之后，LZ忽然就豁然开朗了，渣导尝试用这首歌表现的是另一个层面的梦露，不是作曲家之前表现的甜美可人的梦露，而是那个“嗑药成瘾有自杀倾向的性icon”梦露，是梦露的黑暗面，那么这首歌的表现应该是堕落、迷失、茫乱，还有一点Vulnerable，各种性明示暗示明显，尝试通过勾引别人“Touch Me”而自我满足的想法。于是Karen的仅限于“漂亮亮眼”的表演瞬间又不够Level了……
ps，床上的诱惑演出，至今LZ看到的印象最深的是早年老甜甜的一场Live，几乎Make out级别，但的确有表现力。
EP10
Ivy的Breakaway太润太顺了，Kelly Clarkson的声音有种糙糙的感觉，甚至有点撕裂感，这样更容易带出情感与共鸣。在之前Ivy唱Jessie J的Who you are的时候也是这样。
这集最好玩的歌是Tom的Don't say yes until I finish talking！歌写得活跃舞蹈设计也很欢乐，那群伴舞小哥蹦跶得好萌！Tom其实不像一个财大气粗大老板，像是财大气粗大老板……的大老婆（喂！）躺在那里等捶背还要抽伴舞一毛巾什么的真的太女王了好吗！
EP 11
只说Dig Deep这首给Rebecca度身订造的歌，算是在给一个五音不全音域不广的人最佳的选择了，Rebecca那故意的大舌头也很好玩。只是那个场景是在搞笑啊，梦露穿成这样？还有，Rebecca那些表情简直没有一点梦露感，Karen有她的Pure，Ivy有她的Insecure，她就完全是一个野心勃勃的样子。
EP12
那首一千零一夜，Bollywood最适合夸张又欢乐的剧情，结果Karen用了和平时一样演法自然会被批脸部僵硬。我个人的理解，表演Bollywood的时候男生突出强硬的感觉，女生无论唱腔和表情都要夸张，歌声要软和转音比较多，然后表情是要突出妩媚和”眼波流转“的feel，可以参照Karen旁边的女伴舞们，虽然她们估计也是半吊子，但比Karen的表情好多了。至于舞蹈动作，Karen在SOLO的动作太大手臂打得太直，腰太硬，群舞的时候惯性缩手缩脚……挑刺完毕，总的来说是一首不错的很带劲的曲子，就是Karen一些细节能做得更加漂亮就好了。
最爱的Second-hand white baby grant！我听哭了不止一遍啊！！已经完全没法评论了好么！Ivy驾驭这种Ballad的能力太强了！每次听到waiting for a partner to compose那句的时候都会鼻子酸，请告诉我我不是一个人！
EP15 Season Finale 第一季结局
大家懂的，LZ已经被这一集刺激得把评分改为一星了……季终了说说总体两个女主角的表现吧。
一开始smash的宣传出来的时候，LZ挺看好KM的，美国偶像，邻家女孩，长得也不赖，完全适合演这种近乎本色演出的灰姑娘励志剧。接着看到万众瞩目的第一集plot，哦，原来里面那个反派女二叫Ivy，当时觉得，Karen甜美但清淡，Ivy性感但艳俗，的确是典型的红白玫瑰的设定，想着如果我是要做梦露音乐剧的制作人，虽然Karen潜质大，风格偏离太远而且保守起见的前提下，Ivy才是一个比较稳妥的选择。
但一路追着Smash下来，从第二集开始就发现有点不对劲：在callback里，Ivy对剧本里“I'm not crazy”的一段演绎让我开始意识到Ivy（或者说Megan Hilty）的扎实演技和对梦露的理解，这一点远胜在20th Century Fox Mambo里面抖个肩都僵硬得惨不忍睹的Karen，这让我开始怀疑所谓“潜力”是否言过其实，而Ivy并不是韩剧里面那些不学无术但嫉妒女主才华的女二，她自己本身的才华毋庸置疑。
Workshop期间，Ivy春风得意，Karen闷头攒经验值，这些都能预料到的，这也是发展得最合理的几集，Ivy从抒情的史密斯夫妇，历史晚上做出来（感谢群里姑娘的神翻译），到香艳的Wolf，都做得非常出色，证实了她强悍的唱功和舞台气场。而Karen在唱K歌，给流行乐试音这些情节，则回避了她肢体生硬的缺点，我都觉得是两个人再各展所长的表现。
然后Workshop过后，剧情开始变得折腾又扯蛋，Karen存在感越来越弱白莲花气场却开得越来越强，Ivy一整天郁郁不得志的样子，还半路杀出个不会唱歌的电影明星——WTF！然后渣导各种视力不好脑子还产生幻觉——你妹啊你不是强调自己professional的么？专业的导演会以为自己的幻想和实际现实没有差距吗？！渣导在幻想中可以看到一个完美的Karen，但事实上由于实力有差距她根本做不到水准啊！于是在不专业的渣导扯蛋的坚持下，杯具终于在最后一集诞生了……
Karen版本的Wolf——我只能用惨不忍睹来形容。对比Ivy版本的更加可怕了。首先，Ivy版本里面加了很多气音还有梦露特色的大舌头音，而Karen对这些音节的处理是实的（真正的高音的时候倒开始用假音了），完全没有了该有的天真香艳，请问Karen小姐，用心点模仿会死啊，你是在演戏还是在唱自己的歌啊。更可怕的是轻佻得不行，尾音升调了不止还拖不够拍！（例如A wink and a smile那句，听听就知道了）这种在砸歌边缘的调子真的不应该出现在舞台表演上的，真正的舞台表演，无论你表演的主题和剧情多浮躁，或者你唱得多high，起码心里必须清醒，知道自己应该怎么唱，而不是随意自己怎么喜欢怎么来，而且稳定的发挥是必须的，飘忽的音节和抢拍的尾音实在是相当业余好吗。
On Lexington & 52nd Street这首歌本来没有什么Karen可以发挥的地方，纯粹是站在上面做做花瓶就好了——可是这样还是不合格啊Karen小姐！站在舞台上，站有站相坐有坐相，所谓舞台的气场就是这么来的啊！和生活里是完全不同的好不好！整个人软绵绵的看起来很没形态啊！如果梦露是这样驼背含胸的话一代女神会沦落为一代女屌丝好吗！
最后是整个剧三观的不满，一开始看过这部剧简介和网站互动，觉得这剧其实在宣传“善良者守得云开见月明，最终得到一切”和“为恶者既是使尽心机，能暂时赢但最终会输掉一切”这样的价值观。OK，这样没问题，很多韩剧都是这样演的嘛，当韩剧看好了。但问题是，当编剧开始追求深度，当Ivy这个角色越来越丰满越来越接近真实世界的人的境遇时候，而Karen这个角色还是永远停留在那个单薄的处于梦幻世界的雏的时候，人们开始会把自己的投射放到Ivy身上，而不是编剧一开始想要的让每个人都带入玛丽苏Karen，这时候简单的善恶两元价值观就开始跟不上编剧的设定了，观众开始分化。再加上演员唱功和演技的差距，演员把设定本应才华横溢的女一号变得平庸不堪，女二号彻底Outshine主角，把分化拉得更大了。
另外一个很具有争议性的点是，Ivy之前在剧里点明的Karen根本没有努力过，这是个事实。Karen在剧里根本是个木偶娃娃，渣导让她干活她就干，甚至在最后电影明星退出的时候身为第一位替补的她还只会三分之二的歌——她不懂自己私下攒点经验值练练级，用点私人时间学会那些歌再上会死啊，她在callback的时候和男朋友看梦露的电影做功课都能开小差。相比起可以给渣导提出各种意见，看完所有电影和传记，能模仿梦露发音的Ivy，的确努力程度高下立判。试问一下，如果经历这一切的是自己，如果自己在这么努力的情况下被一个资质平庸、而且没有付出多少努力的人抢走了角色，不抑郁才怪。所以说，因为一根筋地要把善恶的结局分开，给观众传达的信息反而很寒心：一个完全不用心什么都不做等待不劳而获的灰姑娘只要得到重要人物的垂青，便可横扫所有心怀梦想不懈努力往上爬的人。
-----第一季评论Over----- - 'Smash' finale recap: Let Megan Hilty be your star
May 15, 2012 | 11:36 am
Just before the last episode of the first season of “Smash” aired, show runner Theresa Rebeck announced that she would not be returning for Season 2. Instead, Josh Safran, a "Gossip Girl” producer, is coming in to, in the words of Tom (nee Christian Borle), “reboot” the entire show.
Though this type of personnel change isn’t unheard of, it is rare for a major show to lose its captain this way, and one can only guess that Rebeck, a creature of the theater, decided that some of the magic that she was hoping to translate onto the screen was irretrievably lost and that she was better equipped to work on a smaller scale with the strong stuff, rather than the diluted version writ large. Or perhaps she just realized that the show, as it stands now, is massively flawed and that the energy it would take to right the ship wasn’t something she was willing to waste on Katharine McPhee’s mealy-mouthed line readings anymore. Or perhaps she was asked to gracefully exit to make room for a helmer who understands how to take the show’s potential and deliver something worthy.
Because this show does have potential! When I watched the pilot back in January (doesn’t it feel like years ago?), I knew that this was a show that would live or die on the score. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman came out of the gate blazing, with numbers like “Let Me Be Your Star” and “The National Pasttime” that have held up throughout a season of listening to them -- at least as well as any Broadway soundtrack holds up. And with the exception of a miscalculated Ryan Tedder number and that bizarre turn to Bollywood, the show’s best element has always been its original music.
Take the closing number from Monday night, “Don’t Forget Me,” a final energetic ballad that led into a “Let Me Be Your Star” reprise. Even though I was furious that it was McPhee singing it and not Megan Hilty -- but more on that in a bit -- the song moved me, and I thought it was a fitting way to end a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. She pleads for the audience to remember her good qualities, how hard she strived, and not how hard she suffered. She wants to be a legend. A tall order, but as Marilyn is the textbook definition of legend in our culture, it doesn’t feel stretched, and even the fade-in of a large projection of her face comes at just the right moment. It’s sappy and overstated, sure, but so is much of the best work on Broadway, and I know I would have applauded like mad for that finale had I been in the audience.
So what we’re left with at the end of the first season -- and they haven’t even made it to Broadway yet, oy -- is that the show within a show works on some basic level. The thing that doesn’t work is the outer shell, the NBC show, and I think Rebeck saw the writing on the wall about that. But because NBC is pressing toward Broadway with this thing, they will have to figure out a way to make it better. And I think we all know that means not just handing over the reins to Karen.
Here’s the thing: I see what they’re doing here. Karen is the more moldable, malleable, Norma-Jeanable option for the role; she is the pre-Marilyn Marilyn, prone to fits of shyness and doubt and occasional reveries of intense talent. But she’s also boring and stiff, and those are two things that Norma Jean never was.
I understand why Derek is seeing her strange ghost wander around the halls like a specter from his own personal version of “Scrooge.” His vision of Marilyn is that of an innocent, a child, a ball of beautiful clay that men shape. And while it's problematic that the director of “Bombshell” has a misogynistic skew on the whole story, it does fit right into Derek’s persona. He likes his women to be little girls, delicate flowers, requiring his attention. It’s worth noting that when he was the sweetest to Ivy, she was at her lowest point, abusing drugs and getting kicked off stages. He wants to be the big daddy in the room, and Karen is a canvas on which he can paint that fantasy, down to her backstage melt-down. He has to coax the performance out of her as if she’s a baby bird, rubbing her curves and telling her that she’s a star, that he loves her. There were many men that treated Marilyn this way, and it possibly killed her. Which is to say, Derek has chosen Karen for now, so that he can treat her and mold her however he likes. I’m just not sure that it won’t kill her in Season 2. Just wait until she sleeps with him and he loses interest (and he will).
It wouldn’t be such a problem that Derek went with Karen as the big choice if the show didn’t have such a captivating starlet in Hilty. McPhee did a serviceable job on that last number, but I kept thinking that Ivy would have brought something else to the song entirely. Karen’s “Don’t Forget Me” felt like a pleading, a wish. I bet Ivy’s would have felt like a command. The show is so miscast, in that Hilty is clearly a Broadway performer with the chops for that kind of theater, and McPhee is more of a pop star who somehow keeps beating out the Broadway performer -- it doesn’t make logical sense. We are all supposed to suspend our logic and go with the idea that Karen’s the raw talent who is secretly a genius, but I don’t know why they keep pushing that narrative when clearly it isn’t true.
Hilty is the real genius in the Marilyn role -- even Anjelica Huston knows that, even if she couldn’t sway Derek -- and if I were here, I would be contemplating the fistful of pills as well. The show wants us to care about Karen and to despise Ivy, who sleeps with other people’s boyfriends and tries to sabotage everything. But the best person in real life is not always the best person for the job, especially when it comes to show business. I hope that next season they let Ivy redeem herself and take her place. Bernadette Peters needs something else to do besides look devastated.
Borle told the L.A. Times that next season will focus more on the nuts and bolts aspects of putting on a Broadway show, and less on the soapy drama, to which I say (like Sam) hallelujah! My favorite little bits of this episode were Julia and Tom trying to hammer out orchestrations and the stage manager trying to keep everyone happy during a crash run-through. I’d gladly take more of the technical behind-the-scenes sausage, which the pilot was so good at portraying with auditions rather than plot lines involving Dev or Michael Swift. I can’t even get up the energy to worry about the fate of Karen and Dev. She’s a star now, so I’m assuming that relationship is going to fizzle under her spotlight. As for Michael Swift, he may have impregnated Jules, but that doesn’t make him less creepy or predatory. All he has done is thwart their Chinese baby plans.
The only side character who remains compelling at the end is Ellis, who threatens to enact revenge on “Bombshell” while wearing a red devil suit. His little speech to Eileen about doing what needed to be done (a.k.a. nearly murdering a movie star) and how near-murderers never get coffee for anyone was preposterous, and he deserved to be fired. But part of me thinks that in 15 years, Ellis is going to be one of Broadway’s most successful producers. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty with peanut shavings or possibly blood, and showbiz tends to reward insane ruthlessness. I hope the second season explores this dark patch instead of just making him the villain. Ambition does have its place on Broadway, and I’m interested to see where Ellis lands once he learns to harness his.
And that’s all she wrote, folks. See you next year, when we hit the Broadway stage. Will Karen even do a hip thrust that doesn’t make her look like a fembot? Will Ivy channel Marilyn even more than she already does with an overdose? Will Nick Jonas give back the Degas? Will Ellis burn down a theater while he stands there cackling? Will Anjelica Huston ever sing again? And how long can Julia hide her belly beneath her flowy Eileen Fisher garb? All will be revealed soon. Until then, don’t forget Marilyn, or she will haunt you.
The Songs!
“Mr and Mrs Smith” 2 out of 5 Jazz Hands. Karen has about as much chemistry with Michael Swift as Julia has with her own husband. Not a great start to her star turn.
“Howl” 3 out of 5 Jazz Hands. I really love this song and the jingoistic USO choreography, but I don’t love Karen in it. Ivy standing backstage imagining her own rendition (P.S. “Smash,” please stop with all the flashbacks in Season 2 -- it’s like shaking your own hand) doesn’t help Karen any, as she was so clearly better, effortless and charming at it. Karen gets through the number, but I am not seeing this extra spark that Derek tells Ivy about. She looks mechanical and scared.
“Don’t Forget Me” 4.5 out of 5 Jazz Hands. And then she brings it home, and it’s magical. This is one of Tom and Julia’s best songs yet. Maybe they should always cram in a new ending on the day of the show to keep things fresh. I wasn’t feeling Karen’s tragic sexuality in her suicide scene, but her begging not to be forgotten in this number made me forget how much better Ivy would have been and just focus on McPhee in the role. Because we are stuck with Karen as Marilyn going into Season 2 -- at least for a little while -- any number that makes her more likable is a good thing.