名声大噪

'Smash' finale recap: Let Megan Hilty be your star
May 15, 2012 | 11:36 am
 


Just before the last episode of the first season of “Smash” aired, show runner Theresa Rebeck announced that she would not be returning for Season 2. Instead, Josh Safran, a "Gossip Girl” producer, is coming in to, in the words of Tom (nee Christian Borle), “reboot” the entire show.

Though this type of personnel change isn’t unheard of, it is rare for a major show to lose its captain this way, and one can only guess that Rebeck, a creature of the theater, decided that some of the magic that she was hoping to translate onto the screen was irretrievably lost and that she was better equipped to work on a smaller scale with the strong stuff, rather than the diluted version writ large. Or perhaps she just realized that the show, as it stands now, is massively flawed and that the energy it would take to right the ship wasn’t something she was willing to waste on Katharine McPhee’s mealy-mouthed line readings anymore. Or perhaps she was asked to gracefully exit to make room for a helmer who understands how to take the show’s potential and deliver something worthy.

Because this show does have potential! When I watched the pilot back in January (doesn’t it feel like years ago?), I knew that this was a show that would live or die on the score. Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman came out of the gate blazing, with numbers like “Let Me Be Your Star” and “The National Pasttime” that have held up throughout a season of listening to them -- at least as well as any Broadway soundtrack holds up. And with the exception of a miscalculated Ryan Tedder number and that bizarre turn to Bollywood, the show’s best element has always been its original music.

Take the closing number from Monday night, “Don’t Forget Me,” a final energetic ballad that led into a “Let Me Be Your Star” reprise. Even though I was furious that it was McPhee singing it and not Megan Hilty -- but more on that in a bit -- the song moved me, and I thought it was a fitting way to end a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. She pleads for the audience to remember her good qualities, how hard she strived, and not how hard she suffered. She wants to be a legend. A tall order, but as Marilyn is the textbook definition of legend in our culture, it doesn’t feel stretched, and even the fade-in of a large projection of her face comes at just the right moment. It’s sappy and overstated, sure, but so is much of the best work on Broadway, and I know I would have applauded like mad for that finale had I been in the audience.

So what we’re left with at the end of the first season -- and they haven’t even made it to Broadway yet, oy -- is that the show within a show works on some basic level. The thing that doesn’t work is the outer shell, the NBC show, and I think Rebeck saw the writing on the wall about that. But because NBC is pressing toward Broadway with this thing, they will have to figure out a way to make it better. And I think we all know that means not just handing over the reins to Karen.

Here’s the thing: I see what they’re doing here. Karen is the more moldable, malleable, Norma-Jeanable option for the role; she is the pre-Marilyn Marilyn, prone to fits of shyness and doubt and occasional reveries of intense talent. But she’s also boring and stiff, and those are two things that Norma Jean never was.

I understand why Derek is seeing her strange ghost wander around the halls like a specter from his own personal version of “Scrooge.” His vision of Marilyn is that of an innocent, a child, a ball of beautiful clay that men shape. And while it's problematic that the director of “Bombshell” has a misogynistic skew on the whole story, it does fit right into Derek’s persona. He likes his women to be little girls, delicate flowers, requiring his attention. It’s worth noting that when he was the sweetest to Ivy, she was at her lowest point, abusing drugs and getting kicked off stages. He wants to be the big daddy in the room, and Karen is a canvas on which he can paint that fantasy, down to her backstage melt-down. He has to coax the performance out of her as if she’s a baby bird, rubbing her curves and telling her that she’s a star, that he loves her. There were many men that treated Marilyn this way, and it possibly killed her. Which is to say, Derek has chosen Karen for now, so that he can treat her and mold her however he likes. I’m just not sure that it won’t kill her in Season 2. Just wait until she sleeps with him and he loses interest (and he will).

It wouldn’t be such a problem that Derek went with Karen as the big choice if the show didn’t have such a captivating starlet in Hilty. McPhee did a serviceable job on that last number, but I kept thinking that Ivy would have brought something else to the song entirely. Karen’s “Don’t Forget Me” felt like a pleading, a wish. I bet Ivy’s would have felt like a command. The show is so miscast, in that Hilty is clearly a Broadway performer with the chops for that kind of theater, and McPhee is more of a pop star who somehow keeps beating out the Broadway performer -- it doesn’t make logical sense. We are all supposed to suspend our logic and go with the idea that Karen’s the raw talent who is secretly a genius, but I don’t know why they keep pushing that narrative when clearly it isn’t true.

Hilty is the real genius in the Marilyn role -- even Anjelica Huston knows that, even if she couldn’t sway Derek -- and if I were here, I would be contemplating the fistful of pills as well. The show wants us to care about Karen and to despise Ivy, who sleeps with other people’s boyfriends and tries to sabotage everything. But the best person in real life is not always the best person for the job, especially when it comes to show business. I hope that next season they let Ivy redeem herself and take her place. Bernadette Peters needs something else to do besides look devastated.

Borle told the L.A. Times that next season will focus more on the nuts and bolts aspects of putting on a Broadway show, and less on the soapy drama, to which I say (like Sam) hallelujah! My favorite little bits of this episode were Julia and Tom trying to hammer out orchestrations and the stage manager trying to keep everyone happy during a crash run-through. I’d gladly take more of the technical behind-the-scenes sausage, which the pilot was so good at portraying with auditions rather than plot lines involving Dev or Michael Swift. I can’t even get up the energy to worry about the fate of Karen and Dev. She’s a star now, so I’m assuming that relationship is going to fizzle under her spotlight. As for Michael Swift, he may have impregnated Jules, but that doesn’t make him less creepy or predatory. All he has done is thwart their Chinese baby plans.

The only side character who remains compelling at the end is Ellis, who threatens to enact revenge on “Bombshell” while wearing a red devil suit. His little speech to Eileen about doing what needed to be done (a.k.a. nearly murdering a movie star) and how near-murderers never get coffee for anyone was preposterous, and he deserved to be fired. But part of me thinks that in 15 years, Ellis is going to be one of Broadway’s most successful producers. He is not afraid to get his hands dirty with peanut shavings or possibly blood, and showbiz tends to reward insane ruthlessness. I hope the second season explores this dark patch instead of just making him the villain. Ambition does have its place on Broadway, and I’m interested to see where Ellis lands once he learns to harness his.

And that’s all she wrote, folks. See you next year, when we hit the Broadway stage. Will Karen even do a hip thrust that doesn’t make her look like a fembot? Will Ivy channel Marilyn even more than she already does with an overdose? Will Nick Jonas give back the Degas? Will Ellis burn down a theater while he stands there cackling? Will Anjelica Huston ever sing again? And how long can Julia hide her belly beneath her flowy Eileen Fisher garb? All will be revealed soon. Until then, don’t forget Marilyn, or she will haunt you.

 The Songs!

“Mr and Mrs Smith” 2 out of 5 Jazz Hands. Karen has about as much chemistry with Michael Swift as Julia has with her own husband. Not a great start to her star turn.

“Howl” 3 out of 5 Jazz Hands. I really love this song and the jingoistic USO choreography, but I don’t love Karen in it. Ivy standing backstage imagining her own rendition (P.S. “Smash,” please stop with all the flashbacks in Season 2 -- it’s like shaking your own hand) doesn’t help Karen any, as she was so clearly better, effortless and charming at it. Karen gets through the number, but I am not seeing this extra spark that Derek tells Ivy about. She looks mechanical and scared.

“Don’t Forget Me” 4.5 out of 5 Jazz Hands. And then she brings it home, and it’s magical. This is one of Tom and Julia’s best songs yet. Maybe they should always cram in a new ending on the day of the show to keep things fresh. I wasn’t feeling Karen’s tragic sexuality in her suicide scene, but her begging not to be forgotten in this number made me forget how much better Ivy would have been and just focus on McPhee in the role. Because we are stuck with Karen as Marilyn going into Season 2 -- at least for a little while -- any number that makes her more likable is a good thing.



http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/05/smash-finale-recap.html

第一季结束了，带着百老汇话题，主角争议，收视率不高等各种问题结束了2012的征程，再见就是2013的春天。

虽说美剧看了这么些年，各种题材也接触不少，但是唯有《Smash》完全是我的菜，无论主题，主角，剧情，曲目，声声入耳形容都不足够形容了。即便没有下一季，它之于我，也已经是个完整的句号，带着各种圆满的心情，来谢谢我的Smash。正如它的名字，在我的心中，它确实是一鸣惊人。

这应该是我第一次这么推荐一部电视剧吧，作为一个自我标榜业余水平的专业观众，我只说说我对演员，片子，歌曲的直观认识。那些喜欢看职业素养评论的过路人，可以就此打住了，我还是更乐于欣赏片子里那些人文气质的东西，对我而言，它只是一部美剧，即便精彩，也仅此而已。

Jack Davenport此前给我的印象只有《加勒比海盗》，并且完全没有Jonny Depp有戏啊，对我来说，是个可以完全忽略的角色。

---------------------------有空接茬写---------------------------------

History is Made At Night
历史夜晚酝酿

Song by Smash Cast
译：大梦斋主人

(可以直接按中文词来唱哦)

女：
Put down the playbook
剧本放一放
cuz the things I want to show you cant be written down
我把不能上映的戏给你讲一讲
Let my lips do the teaching
用双唇带你起航

男：
Turn of the camera
把镜头关上
kick your shoes off for this scene you should be sitting down
这场戏你要把所有束缚都松绑
yes sitting close enough for reaching
哦，近一些靠着我肩膀

女：
Turn down the lamp
灯光太亮
 for the last page has been turned
剧本到此该合上

男：
when the dawns breaking through
直到日出东方

女：
we can stop and review
我们停下回想

合：
all the lessons you have learned
黑暗是我们的课堂
Cuz history is made at night
历史在夜晚酝酿
so close the books turn off the light
抛下书本关掉电灯
and listen
去飞翔
let my heart be the teacher
心合一就是方向
no one here to disapprove
没谁可以乱吵嚷
as we review the lessons you've been missing
不曾学的知识今晚都补上
let the moon be our only light
现在我们只有月光
cuz history is made at night
因为历史夜晚酝酿

男：
I see the questions
我看到疑惑
burning in your eyes or is it just reflections
在你眼底闪烁或只是在反射
of the stars high above you
一天璀璨的星火

女：
I'm just a student
我有些困惑
and i hope you wont be shy please make corrections
你千万不要害羞告诉我怎么做
yeah on the sweetest way to love you
要如何爱你才是挥霍

男：
Come whisper close
轻声诉说
tell me just when to say when
要把时间告诉我

女：
Then we'll sleep through the day
最好白天睡过

男：
Then whenever you say
月亮升太阳落

合：
Thats when school begins again
我们开始新的一课
Cuz history is made at night
历史在夜晚酝酿
so close the books turn off the light
抛下书本关掉电灯
and listen
去飞翔
let my heart be the teacher
心合一就是方向
no one here to disapprove
没谁可以乱吵嚷
as we review the lessons you've been missing
不曾学的知识今晚都补上
let the moon be our only light
现在我们只有月光
cuz history is made at night
因为历史夜晚酝酿

女：
Come here
Oh, oh, yeah, someday they'll write lots of books about our fame and glory
Come here
有一天，人们会拼命书写我们今天的荣光

男：
but if all their reports are just movies and sports
但是电影和棒球根本不能描写我

合：
They'll be missing the whole story
们相恋的模样

Cuz history is made at night
历史在夜晚酝酿
so close the books turn off the light
抛下书本关掉电灯
and listen
去飞翔
let my heart be the teacher
心合一就是方向
no one here to disapprove
没谁可以乱吵嚷
as we review the lessons you've been missing
不曾学的知识今晚都补上
let the moon be our only light
现在我们只有月光
cuz history is made at night
因为历史夜晚酝酿
yes our history was made at night...........
我们的历史今夜酝酿

不是让你去勾有夫之妇，对一般女生也行啊，你拒绝我？我先唱给你听，后来你还拒绝我？用那股sexy的声音继续勾引着，尼玛Michael你太有魅力，差点把哥这个直男都要迷倒了，还不行？晚上跟你家打电话，越你到那种偏僻处，不碰你，先色诱你，再盯着你，女主直接被软化了有木有！男主见时机已到，脱下上衣，露出2块胸肌，接下来就是一片和谐的场面
。。
。
没想到这部片子还教你怎么勾引女生，话说女主，你穿上高中校服去的话，估计男主那天晚上都硬不起来。。