"Smash" is Going to Exist IRL—Kind Of

Do you guys remember “Smash”? I loved that show, although apparently there was a mixed critical reaction to its soapy plot line. I guess I never talked to any of those people, because I was surprised and sad when it was canceled after just two seasons.

As it turns out, there is a legion of devoted fans who have been lobbying (for the last two years!) to get some version of Bombshell, the Marilyn Monroe-themed musical that formed the backbone of the TV show, produced IRL.

Katherine McPhee and Megan Hilty (photo via NBC)

It makes perfect sense. Cut the silly details (that, let’s admit, make great TV) and stick to the musical itself. One small catch, though: Despite the fact that the majority of the songs in “Smash” were written by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman—the team behind Hairspray—Bombshell wasn’t a fully realized musical. And funding is always an issue when you want to put on a Broadway show.

Enter “Smash” star Megan Hilty. She mentioned the idea during one of her performances, and the thing took on a life of its own. People donated money in order to be notified of ticket sales, which launched the history-making Bombshell Kickstarter. The campaign raised over $300,000—making it the most successful theater Kickstarter ever. The resulting show will be a benefit concert for the Actors Fund, and will premiere at the Minskoff Theatre on June 8.

Wittman told vulture.com that “Shaiman’s Facebook followers often ask him, ‘We want to put on Bombshell, can we get the rights?’ And I say, ‘Well, there is no Bombshell…'”

Well, now there kind of is!