Fade in on a… cast that’s reuniting virtually for the first time in 5 years. On Wednesday night, the cast of NBC’s Smash got back together again to reminisce about the show as the entr’act of the livestream of Bombshell in Concert, inexplicably hosted by Renee Zellweger wearing a University of Texas hat for some reason (hook ‘em horns?) in an effort to raise money for The Actors Fund. All of your favorites (and Ellis) hopped on a Zoom call to discuss their Smash experience, what the show meant to them, and their eagerness to do it again in the future.
Moderated by Vulture favorite Julie Klausner, the cast discussion revealed some of hitherto unknown facts about the series. Katharine McPhee shared that the original Showtime version of the show contained a lot of nudity. “I don’t know if anybody else knows this,†McPhee says to the group. “The original script I read had a lot of nudity. Do you remember that?†Debra Messing chimes in to say that not only does she remember that version, but she also recalls Former Chairman of NBC Bob Greenblatt only bringing one script with him as he transitioned from Showtime to NBC which was, in fact, Smash, at that point known as “The Untitled Theresa Rebek Project.†“It was definitely a cable show,†Debra Messing said. “I remember reading it and thinking this might be the best pilot script I’ve ever read. †Imagine how many pilots Messing has read? That’s a huge honor.
Speaking of honors, the entire company whole heartedly agreed that one of the quintessential things that made Smash a cult-smash was the score, written by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. “I don’t think the show would have been… a cult classic if it had not been for Marc and Scott’s music,†says McPhee at one point. “They’re world class songwriters as it is but they really just like nailed it every week and that’s a huge component as to why the show was so successful.†Christian Borle, who had won a Tony award the night before the Bombshell concert in 2015, grabbed the baton, stating, “And let’s also remind everybody that “Let Me Be Your Star†is one of the best songs ever written†prompting nods and vocal affirmations from the rest of the cast. Honestly? We don’t disagree. The discussion wrapped up with stars Megan Hilty and McPhee both stating that they’d love to bring Smash back in some capacity in the future. Listen to one of the greatest songs ever written below and dream of a brighter tomorrow with Ivy and Karen back in action.