Few TV sensations embody the phrase “you had to be there” better than Smash. What was it about this messy drama about musical theater types that drew the show’s small but dedicated fanbase like theater-kid moths to a glittery flame? You had to be there. Did NBC really think at one time that this show would be its savior? You had to be there. Did they really pack hallucinations, an Uma Thurman subplot, and a Bollywood dance sequence into just the first season? Again, you had to be there—and just wait until Season 2, when a major character gets hit by a bus!
And now, after years of clamoring for a TV revival, Smash fans have manifested the event of their dreams—or at least, something close enough. On May 20, the show’s original cast members will reunite for a televised stream of the show’s 2015 one-night-only Broadway concert, Bombshell. Like the original concert, the stream will encourage viewers to donate to The Actors Fund. The event will also include commentary from the cast—including memories and stories from the original production. And in a baffling but delightful twist, Renée Zellweger will give the introduction. Why not? But this time, the name on everybody’s lips is gonna be Ivy.
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