Product Description
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Emmy Award® winner Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Academy Award®
winner Anjelica Huston (Prizzi's Honor), Megan Hilty (Broadway's
Wicked) and American Idol's Katharine McPhee star in the
groundbreaking, critically accled series Smash. Talented
newcomer Karen Cartwright (McPhee) is up for the role of a
lifetime in a new Broadway musical based on the iconic Marilyn
Monroe. The only thing standing in her way is Ivy Lynn (Hilty), a
seasoned theater veteran who is determined to land the part
herself and will stop at nothing to realize her own dreams of
fame. Also starring Tony® Award winner Christian Borle
(Broadway's Peter and the Starcatcher) and Jack Davenport
(Pirates of the Caribbean). Watch all 15 "gloriously
entertaining" (Robert Bianco, USA Today) episodes back to back
and uninterrupted in this 4-disc set, filled with fantastic
musical performances, stunning production numbers and scandalous
backstage dramas, with never-before-seen bonus features including
Deleted Scenes, Featurettes and more!
Bonus Content:
Disc 1 - Smash Season One:
* Deleted and Extended Scenes
Disc 2 - Smash Season One:* Deleted Scenes
Disc 3 - Smash Season One:* Deleted and Extended Scenes
Disc 4 - Smash Season One:* Deleted Scenes
* Gag Reel
* A Dream Come True
* Song & Dance
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The "show within a show" concept gets a full-throttle workout in
Smash, released here with all 15 first-season episodes on four
discs. The many trials and tribulations involved in ing a
Broadway production, in this case a musical about the life of
Marilyn Monroe, are depicted in creator Theresa Rebeck's TV
series. But there's an operatic element here, too--soap operatic,
that is, as the behind-the-scenes tumult is designed to be a good
deal juicier than what happens onstage. Not that the legendary
Monroe ("There was something about her," says one character. "How
much she wanted to love and be loved… reminds me of a saint")
isn't a good subject. But the particulars of her story will be
familiar to most viewers. Less recognizable will be the
process--from conception to creation to casting, from securing
financing to rehearsals to workshops to previews--that
preoccupies Smash's characters from start to finish. Vying for
the lead role are Karen Cartwright (American Idol's Katharine
McPhee), an ingénue from Iowa (Smash is definitely not
cliché-free), and Broadway veteran Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty); one
would think that the rivalry's over once Ivy s with arrogant
Brit director Derek Wills (Jack Davenport) and gets the gig, but
one would be mistaken. Meanwhile, songwriter Julia Houston (Debra
Messing) struggles with both her marriage and her love life,
which are by no means the same; her writing partner, Tom Levitt
(Christian Borle), in addition to his own relationship issues,
has a sneaky, duplicitous assistant (Je Cepero) who may be the
real villain of the piece; and producer Eileen Rand (Anjelica
Huston) is in the midst of a bitter divorce. Many will find all
of this entertainingly addictive. The songs (written by Marc
Shan and Scott Wittman), while hardly classics, are good, as
are the big production numbers. And while some of the subplots
are silly (when her voice falters, Ivy must decide between taking
steroids or being replaced by Karen) and some seem superfluous
(like Julia and her husband's attempt to adopt a Chinese baby),
others ring true (Ivy's mother, a Broadway legend played by
Bernadette Peters, could hardly be less supportive), and overall,
the depiction of show biz as a maddening mess of passions,
betrayals, back-biting, infighting, and (often illicit) sex is
engaging and fun. In addition to Peters, guest stars include Nick
Jonas and Uma Thurman, while among the bonus features are
extended musical numbers, deleted scenes, and making-of
featurettes. --Sam Graham