“Smash,” the long-awaited and much-reworked Broadway musical inspired by the NBC cult TV series of the same name, will end its run at the Imperial Theatre on June 22, following 84 regular performances and 32 previews.
For years, fans hoped to see “Bombshell,” the Marilyn Monroe bio-musical at the center of the series, brought to life. Instead, they got “Smash,” a chaotic, self-referential backstage musical that attempted to remix the show’s characters and storylines with a satirical wink but landed with more confusion than clarity.
Despite a top-shelf creative team including director Susan Stroman and songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, and spirited turns from Robyn Hurder and Brooks Ashmanskas, the production never quite found its footing. The score (consisting almost entirely of songs written for the TV series) sparkled, but the book (by Bob Martin and Rick Elice) buried the show in Broadway in-jokes, jarring tonal shifts, and muddled subplots.
As is customary for struggling shows passed over at the Tonys, “Smash” announced its closing shortly after the awards ceremony. It failed to snag a Best Musical nomination and wasn’t granted a performance slot on the telecast—losing a crucial shot at visibility and momentum.
In the end, it wasn’t a bombshell or a smash — just a footnote in a crowded season.
A return trip ‘Under the Sea,’ with kids in tow, for ‘Mermaid’
I recently revisited “The Little Mermaid”—not the 1989 animated classic or its live-action remake, but the stage musical adaptation, which is now playing at Paper Mill Playhouse, with my two children in tow.
I vividly recall the show’s troubled 2008 Broadway debut, a production best remembered for its unfortunate use of Heelys to simulate underwater movement, which sounded imaginative on paper but flopped in execution.
Paper Mill’s current staging, like many regional productions since, forgoes the rolling footwear in favor of flying effects and clever puppetry. It’s not revolutionary theater, but it’s pleasant and perfectly pitched to the families who packed the matinee we attended. There’s something to be said for competent, colorful storytelling that keeps kids engaged and adults mildly amused.
A personal highlight for me was seeing Sean Patrick Doyle, my friend from theater camp days, light up the stage as one of Ursula’s slithering eels. A veteran of Broadway’s “La Cage aux Folles” and “Kinky Boots,” Sean is a gifted dancer, and his theatrical flair, physical precision, and sense of play served him beautifully in this show-stealing role.
This marks yet another chapter in Paper Mill’s strong relationship with Disney Theatrical, which includes presenting the world premiere of “Newsies” and a prior production of “The Little Mermaid” in 2011. The partnership continues this winter with a post-Broadway production of “Frozen.”
Watching “The Little Mermaid” in 2025, one can’t help but wonder if Disney might eventually attempt a Broadway revival, especially in the wake of the recent live-action film. The property remains one of Disney’s most beloved, yet its original stage adaptation never reached the commercial heights of “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Lion King,” or “Aladdin,” the other marquee Disney Renaissance musicals of the early 1990s.
A refreshed version, possibly with new direction and a retooled score that pares back the clunky additions from the 2008 production, could offer Ariel the Broadway success story she’s still waiting for.
City Center announces new musical theater season
New York City Center’s 2025–26 musical theater lineup will include a fall production of “Bat Boy: The Musical” (a 2001 bizarre Off-Broadway musical comedy about a half-boy, half-bat teen, reimagined by director Alex Timbers), followed by Encores! productions of “High Spirits” (the rarely-seen musical adaptation of the Noel Coward séance comedy “Blithe Spirit”), “The Wild Party” (Michael John LaChiusa’s version, not Andrew Lippa’s), and “La Cage aux Folles” (directed by Robert O’Hara with an all-Black cast and starring Billy Porter as Albin).
