<p>Prediction: Megan (Ivy?) will get the role, as the business goes, but Katherine (Karen?) will end up understudying. Then something bad will happen and Karen will have to take over for the role because Ivy can’t perform- and she is shot to stardom. </p>
<p>At least, that’s what a bunch of MT majors were guessing. We also spent the whole time argueing about how unrealistic this typing situation was. “If Katherine gets Marilyn over Megan, what’s to stop me from playing Effie?!” (My blonde/white/soprano/jew/ingenue friend cries)</p>
<p>I enjoyed it. So far, I find Karen more appealing than Ivy, but she got more face time tonight. I love Angelica Huston doing pretty much anything.</p>
<p>No Auto-tune - the vocals sound real (in a recording studio kind of way) - very refreshing and enjoyable after the Glee auto-tunerama experience.</p>
<p>I thought the vocals sounded very auto-tuned and it was so obvious they actors were lip synching. Am I the only one? But of course I enjoyed the show…I want Karen to get the role. LOVED the choreography of the “national pastime” song…but I don’t get why the director was choreographing…? Some weird stuff. And the way they made it look like Ivy and Karen were auditioning side by side, together, harmonizing…if they wanted to make it REALLY realistic, they should have an open call with hundreds of girls, and then give the part to Taylor Swift.</p>
<p>alwaysamom - I also have never read Rachel Shukert until now and she is hilarious. </p>
<p>I definitely enjoyed Smash and hope it does well. I actually had a couple of people at my office come up to me this morning and say how much they liked it. Anything to get the non theatre people into “our” world is a good thing!</p>
<p>So my Math/science husband asks me last night after the show:</p>
<p>“So, if this is just basically casting of a show, what happens after that is done? Is this just a one season show or what?”</p>
<p>good point…I liked it…but given the reviews I have seen, I’m waiting to reserve judgement…apparently, the next few episodes are actually much better than this one was…</p>
<p>Well, that recap was a riot. Here’s another link to a blog about the show that you might enjoy: </p>
<p>Sharon Weatley is an actress who is also a writer; her blogs are not only funny but full of information about what it’s REALLY like to be an actress.</p>
<p>MODERATOR’S NOTE: You can send a PM to onstage to ask for the link. I had to delete it here, since blogs aren’t permitted by the Terms of Service.</p>
<p>Onstage…neat link. Ha, she brought up what I mentioned in an earlier post as the one thing that did not seem realistic to me (but what do I know?) when the director called McPhee’s character to come over at 10 PM to his place, plus his making the moves on her in hopes she might sleep with him to get the part.</p>
<p>@onstage: awesome link. Thanks! My d has read several books on Broadway life and she got the most out of Sharon Wheatley’s “'Til the Fat Girl Sings” (which we found out about here on CC). She cites that book all the time as she progresses through her learning curve in the MT world, “hey something happened today that was just like in the book!” We didn’t know that Sharon had a website (oh, the shame of it, considering I have MT-dad OCD). No doubt D will spend the weekend pouring over the website after she finishes watching the first epidsode of Smash from the DVR (too much homework after crew this week for her to watch so far).</p>
<p>Based on what we’ve seen so far I want Ivy to be cast, but assume that we’re supposed to be rooting for the other girl. IMHO the other character seems unsuited to the role on many levels, and I thought she was NUTS to go to the director’s apartment at 10:00pm, then even MORE nuts to return to the living room scantily clad just to tell him “it’s not gonna happen”. Hopefully my D would have enough sense to say no to such an unprofessional “interview”, or at least to get out of Dodge the minute she recognized what was happening. I also thought it was unrealistic that the casting folks would have been impressed by her initial audition, but maybe I’m jaded from spending time with so many exceptionally talented MT kids. </p>
<p>I have heard that there is one NY agent who commonly conducts interviews after showcases in his apartment, but frankly I find that creepy and would avoid working with him.</p>
<p>I’m eager to give the show several more episodes to see where it goes. I do appreciate the fact that there’s some original music, and enjoy the periodic cuts to fully-produced versions of the new songs.</p>
<p>I agree with your first post Soozievt . . . I thought when the director called her to come to his apartment was really strange too . . . not only was it “icky”, it felt like it was edited in afterwards, like it was a complete afterthought because he didn’t seem like that creepy guy to begin with. During that scene I kept thinking he was testing her to see if she would sleep with him, that he actually did NOT want her to sleep with him. I know, I’m probably naive, but that scene was so out of left field that I found it totally distracting. I liked the show and hope to see it continue and be good . . . love Anjelica Houston, so she ought to be fun.</p>