Rant and Rave: Bombshell; The New Marilyn Musical from SMASH

Rating: 4.0

Marilyn Monroe defined an aspect of the 1960s: her curves, vivacious laugh and sex appeal made her adored and lusted upon the whole world over. However, we don’t know everything Ms. Monroe; with every flash of the camera, issues and scandals brew in her life that some people deem as tragic and melancholic.

Enter SMASH, the show from NBC that is deemed by critics as “triumphant” and “ambitious”. Produced and backed by Steven Spielberg, the show has a stellar cast with the likes of Anjelica Huston, Jack Davenport, Debra Messing, Christian Borle, and the two “Marilyn Monroe” wannabes Megan Hilty and Katharine McPhee. During season one, Broadway was portrayed to be a place filled with glamor and a hint of deceit; the same place where a new musical, Bombshell, based on the life of Monroe, was being made. Every character, especially Hilty’s Ivy Lynn and McPhee’s Karen Cartwright, is going through a crisis that parallels that of Marilyn’s. The music of SMASH, however, transports audiences to the visions and plans of the production team as they cruise the roaring and uneasy waters of Broadway.

The songs composed by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, the duo behind Hairspray, were scored and written exquisitely that makes both Broadway aficionados and TV fans appreciate the magic of the stage. They crafted music that makes the show accessible for everyone, yet incorporates the music to the stories of the characters in the, show making them more human and easy to understand. The flow of the recording is fluid, and the tracks are appropriate that if you don’t watch the show, you’ll still be able to have a grasp of the life Marilyn lived through in the voices of the cast of SMASH.

The album is split into two parts: Act 1 and Act 2. The first act focuses on Monroe’s journey and rise, while the second act narrates the turmoils and crises that bombard her well until she passes. The first track is Let Me Be Your Star, the theme of the series and the musical, revolving around the aspirations, heartbreak, and life of Marilyn Monroe, as sung beautifully by the two leading ladies, Hilty and McPhee. The second track is At Your Feet, a cute number between Monroe and her mother, portrayed in the song by Bernadette Peters. Smash! And Never Give All The Heart shows the journey that Monroe took to storm Hollywood, all the demons and questions she had to put out to be famous. There are some show-stopping tunes sung by Hilty and McPhee like The 20th Century Fox Mambo, Let’s Be Bad, I Never Met A Wolf, and The National Pastime, catchy and accurately likened to the era’s tunes.

Bombshell is special because it doesn’t exclude its Broadway roots, yet stands on its own. The soundtrack is divine, and the vocals are brilliant. The best aspect of the album, though, would be the lyrical content, connecting Marilyn and the characters excellently.

The album is a great testament to SMASH being an ambitious musical series that strives to show people about Broadway’s joys and perils, and inspire people to dream and to stand out. Bombshell is the underdog in the show, but it is epic when it comes to content, lyrics and score. The cast recording of Bombshell is one for the record books; it achieves the impossible in making Marilyn accessible and likeable for people without being over-the-top too corny.