"Smash" producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron present the starry, sold-out event that is co-directed by Emmy winner Joshua Bergasse and Scott Wittman with choreography by Bergasse. It is presented as a benefit for The Actors Fund.
Bombshell features a score by Tony Award-winning songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Standouts from the score include "Let Me Be Your Star" and "Hang the Moon."
Flip Through Bombshell's Broadway Playbill
The anticipated event sold out in just over an hour after tickets were released via a special pre-sale April 13 that was made available to fans who donated to a special Kickstarter fund to help fund the concert.
Fan response on Kickstarter proved to be an early indicator of just how eager "Smash" viewers were to see Bombshell in the flesh. Over $225,000 was raised on the first day it launched, with the fund totaling $318,120 backers by the time it ended. Due to the special nature of the event, which takes place in a Broadway theatre (the Minskoff is home to Disney's The Lion King) and the logistics of reuniting original "Smash" cast members, producers do not have the option of presenting Bombshell for more than one performance. In addition, various union regulations make a recording of the event impossible.
Photo Call: Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty Are Duelling Marilyns in New Bombshell Rehearsal Shots!
The cast features original "Smash" stars Christian Borle, Will Chase, Megan Hilty, Katharine McPhee, Debra Messing, Jaime Cepero, Brian d'Arcy James, Ann Harada, Jeremy Jordan, Donna McKechnie, Leslie Odom, Jr. and Wesley Taylor.
The Bombshell ensemble includes Yesenia Ayala, Ioana Alfonso, Emily Bindiger, Colin Bradbury, Benjamin Chavez, Dennis Collins, Neal Coomer, Alexa De Barr, Josh Franklin, Karla Garcia, Mary Gatchell, Alex Gibson, Tyrone Jackson, Reed Kelly, Jenny LaRoche, Marty Lawson, Carolyn Leonhart, Karen Lloyd, Michael McArthur, Paul McGill, Chase Madigan, Kevin Osborne, Nicole Prothro, Lillie Ricciardi, Eugene Ruffolo, Michael Ruocco, Ripley Sobo, Eric Stretch, Sarah Tolar, Jessica Walker, Katie Webber, Tatiana Wechsler and Sam Zack.
The creative team includes Scott Pask (scenic elements); Carol Sherry (costume advisor); Donald Holder (lighting); Nevin Steinberg (sound supervisor); Emiliano Pares (props); Peter Nigrini (projection designs); Nathan Johnson (make up); Doug Bersterman (conductor & orchestrations); Jeff Atmajian, Larry Blank, Brad Dechter, Aaron Heick, Marc Shaiman & Jonathan Tunick (orchestrations); Scott M. Riesett (music supervisor); Russ Barmus, Mark Graham – Joann Kane Music Service (music preparation); and James Sampliner (associate music director). The production stage manager is Peter Lawrence.
Bombshell was one of two musicals central to the plot of "Smash," which gave viewers a dramatically compacted (and often overly heightened) insider's glimpse of the making of a new Broadway musical.
It's also worth noting that the famously short-lived Broadway musical Marilyn – An American Fable played the Minskoff for 51 performances in the fall of 1983.
From the casting of Marilyn, to writing, re-writing, readings, rehearsals, out-of-town tryouts, back-biting interns and opening night, "Smash" featured a host of Broadway actors for its cast, including Ann Harada, Jeremy Jordan, Brian d'Arcy James, Andy Mientus, Krysta Rodriguez and more. Numerous Broadway figures also made cameos as themselves during the series' two-year run.
Playwright Theresa Rebeck created the series and wrote the pilot for "Smash," which set the backstage story of Bombshell in motion.
Check out a clip of Hilty performing a song from Bombshell below.
