Smash - More twee than Glee.

HBO should be applauded for turning SKY 1's, sadly defunct, Pineapple Dance Studios into a big budget series. Smash takes all the over the top situations and egos we loved from Pineapple and transports them to Broadway. OK, so in Smash they are making Marilyn- The Musical and not Louis- The Musical but then I suppose Marilyn Monroe is a bit better known Stateside than Louis Spence, so we'll allow that.

If only Smash was Pineapple Dance Studios, it would be a lot more entertaining, better acted, and less cliche ridden. Come on how many times have we seen the audition where the hopeful plays a blinder and the, at first, blase panel lean forward and nod; or the director is an egotistical womaniser? Back in the 70's Broadway was given dark undertones by A Chorus Line and All That Jazz, but it seems fluffy is the order of things these days.

 

Smash has been likened to Glee, but this show is so twee it makes Glee look like The Sopranos. The original numbers of Marilyn The Musical all sound like they could be straight out of a second rate Disney film, and certainly don't warrant the, 'that's great', enthusiasm the characters shower upon them. I'm sure, those foolish enough to carry on watching Smash will swiftly be doing a Treme, namely fast forwarding the music to help speed the show up a little.

 

This Saturday night slot on SKY Atlantic is becoming a bit of a home for lemons, first Luck and now Smash. We await their third one word turkey with baited breathe. Wait, there it is, Turkey that's the new show for the slot. The story of a turkey farmer, and his loving family, set against the backdrop of the current economic crisis. Expect a few waning Hollywood stars to paper over the cracks. Can't wait.

 

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