Steven Spielberg is bringing “Smash” to Broadway.
A stage musical adaptation of NBC’s cult series about a New York theater community will open on Broadway during the 2024-25 season, the producers announced Wednesday.
Spielberg, who conceptualized the series and served as executive producer, will serve as the main producer of the Broadway show.
“’Smash’ is near and dear to my heart, and I have always hoped that a musical inspired by the show would finally hit the stage,” Spielberg said in a statement. “We now have an incredible creative team and I’m looking forward to completing the ‘Smash’ journey that began with my producing partners over ten years ago.”
The series ran for two seasons, from 2012 to 2013, and largely focused on a group of artists creating “Bombshell,” a musical about Marilyn Monroe. The show’s cast included Debra Messing, Katharine McPhee, Anjelica Huston, and a pre-“Hamilton” Leslie Odom Jr..
The stage musical will reenact the different stages of the creation and execution of “Bombshell,” but will also feature storylines that differ from the series, the producers said.
Robert Greenblatt, the former president of NBC Entertainment that developed “Smash,” and Neil Meron, the series’ producer, join Spielberg as lead producers on the stage musical, which is directed by five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. The cast has not been announced.
“Since the show ended in 2012, not a week goes by that someone doesn’t ask us when they’re going to see ‘Smash’ as a musical,” Meron said. “We think we’ve come up with something that die-hard fans of the series will love, but will also be exciting for people who have never seen an episode of the show. And above all else, it will be a Valentine’s Day for the Broadway musical and the thrilling roller coaster of bringing one to life.”
The announcement comes just over a year after the 76-year-old Spielberg released his first big-screen musical: a 2021 adaptation of “West Side Story.” His latest film, the semi-autobiographical “The Fabelmans,” was released last November. Both films received seven Oscar nominations, including best picture.
