The Broadway musical Smash will close on June 22 at the Imperial Theatre, after a short run marked by mixed reviews and underwhelming ticket sales. The show will have played 32 previews and 84 regular performances.
Inspired by the NBC television series of the same name, Smash follows a group of theater artists creating Bombshell, a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. The stage version featured songs by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who wrote music for the original show, and a book by Rick Elice and Bob Martin.
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Despite high expectations and a built-in fanbase, Smash struggled at the box office. In the week leading up to the Tony Awards, it played to just 66% capacity and grossed \$656,161. The show was nominated for two Tony Awards—Best Choreography (Joshua Bergasse) and Best Featured Actor in a Musical (Brooks Ashmanskas)—but did not win either.
On June 12, the production announced its closing, making Smash the first Broadway show to shut down following a complete Tony shutout. While it’s not unusual for shows to close after missing out on awards, the announcement came quickly after the June 8 ceremony.
Directed by five-time Tony winner Susan Stroman, Smash starred Robyn Hurder as Ivy Lynn and Caroline Bowman as Karen. The cast also included Krysta Rodriguez, John Behlmann, Kristine Nielsen, and Brooks Ashmanskas, among others.
The creative team featured scenic design by Beowulf Boritt, costumes by Alejo Vietti, lighting by Ken Billington, sound by Brian Ronan, and projections by S. Katy Tucker. Music supervision was by Stephen Oremus, with orchestrations by Doug Besterman and music direction by Paul Staroba.
The production was led by producers Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron, and Steven Spielberg. While Meron and Spielberg were directly involved in the original TV series, Greenblatt, then Chairman of NBC Entertainment, was a key figure in bringing the show to television. Though the show was in development for over a decade and built on years of fan demand, it ultimately couldn’t gain enough momentum on Broadway.
The original Broadway cast recording, produced by Concord Theatricals Recordings, is now available to stream, with physical formats releasing later this summer.
Though its time onstage was brief, Smash offered a behind-the-scenes look at the highs and lows of making musical theater—an art form it clearly loves, even if Broadway didn’t love it back.
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