<p>I knew Rachel Shukert as she was growing up. It’s funny to picture the 8-12 year old you knew as writing this…or any of her books. It’s so not her parents but I guess it’s so her!</p>
<p>I started out liking the show a lot, but ended up being disappointed. Too much that was too unrealistic and will give kids false ideas about the profession.</p>
<p>Merlehay - that is exactly what my daughter was afraid of and that’s sort of how I found it to be. I know they need to condense everything to fit into 45ish minutes but still…</p>
<p>Maybe if I were an aspiring performer, I’d find the lack of reality more annoying. I’ve given up on wanting TV dramas to be real after watching all the medical dramas I’ve seen in my time. (I’m not a medical professional but I work at a medical center. Real medicine ain’t like Grey’s Anatomy, either!)</p>
<p>My daughter who is in the biz but doesn’t have a TV (out of choice) did watch it online with her boyfriend who is also an actor. When I told her the one part I didn’t think was realistic (though other parts were in my opinion), she commented that it is TV and that TV shows like this are rarely entirely realistic and to be expected. She thought, as do I, that many talented people are involved in the show and it is worth watching again to see how it goes.</p>
<p>Of course tv isn’t a real portrayal of life, cop shows are a perfect example, but if it’s about your industry you are more likely to be critical and unhappy. My husband hates all those “Wall Street” films, my daughter this show, I suppose whenever you are in the industry being portrayed you are dismayed by how television portrays it. </p>
<p>I usually try to watch shows taped in NY but SMASH is opposite Castle which is not only one of my favorite shows but it is also taped in NY so I’ll probably pass on SMASH.</p>
<p>Agreed, amtc. I’ll tell you what drives me crazy. Shows set in Chicago never look like Chicago. Thank heavens for DVRs, though; I’ll be able to catch this show as well as Castle (which I love!).</p>
<p>Amtc: I could be wrong, but I think Castle is actually filmed in LA…the pilot was filmed in Ny, but has since moved to LA…</p>
<p>Smash is def in NY…they have been closing off streets for awhile now…when they were in Times Square ( during last Monday’s show) they didn’t even bother telling the people on the streets not to gawk…they weren’t allowed to close off that area…</p>
<p>MT people - help me here. I know lots of the show wasn’t realistic, but do people dress like the character they are auditioning for? It seemed this was an open call for “Marilyn” and everyone but Karen came dressed as Marilyn. Would that happen?</p>
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<p>cartera…I don’t think they do or at least I don’t think experienced professional actors do that (but if it was an open call, you’d see all types, including those who are rather “green”). My kid never dresses the part on an audition. However, depending what she is auditioning for, it may affect her attire to a small degree. For instance, if it is a young hip rock/pop musical, she may dress differently than a more legit traditional style musical. If the part is to play a teen, she may dress on the younger side and vice versa. But she doesn’t dress “in character”…nope.</p>
<p>rodney - you’re right, I stand corrected. My daughter was called in for an audition I guess it was during their first season and they have the “thanks to the NYC Mayor’s office…” in their closing credits, so I didn’t realize they had gone over to the other side. Well now that puts me in a real pickle since I really dislike tv shows that are supposed to take place in NY but don’t (CSI:NY).</p>
<p>cartera - no one would dress like Marilyn for an audition. It would be an Equity call so none of those women would, in all likelihood, even be seen. It was just for comic relief I guess.</p>
<p>I think it was meant to indicate that she was fresh and different - but frankly it would have been more realistic, and probably more charming, if SHE was the one person who arrived in costume. Plus that might have made it more believable that they could picture her as Marylin.</p>
<p>So, it’s only the second episode and they cast the part already! Wow, I did not expect that. I can only imagine that this is just temporary for the workshop and the story line will go beyond the workshop to the other steps of bringing a musical to fruition and thus casting again. </p>
<p>(and oy, more “sleeping with the director” scenarios…)</p>
<p>Still, I liked it.</p>
<p>I predict Ivy drama with Karen in the wings.</p>
<p>Why not just cast Karen as Eliza Doolittle and be done with it.</p>
<p>My prediction is that Karen will be cast as Norma Jean and Ivy keeps Marilyn. They become friends and their lives intertwine.</p>
<p>@austinmtmom . . . Aahhh, good one! I hadn’t thought about that.</p>
<p>Strange quality level to this show… D and I have watched together twice, and we a re left with mixed feelings. It seems choppy, spliced, and much of the oft-used scene melding is confusing, rather than interesting or revealing- are these fantasies or a flashes forward? And the story sort of hobbles along in a bumpy and not that suspenseful way.
I am bothered by the scenes of Ivy in bed with the director, and then more of those in the preview for next week…
Is this the way Broadway works? Maybe! But it does seem like a cliche. Of course, Ivy is a sex bomb style actress playing a sex bomb in a musical with sexiness in your face, but…?
If the show is using these types of plot-lines, it will be a soap opera with silly dramas. I was hoping for a more soul-searching approach…</p>
<p>I am finding myself not caring what happens next, not pulling for any of the characters…
Are any of the characters connecting with you?</p>
<p>I was a bit disappointed with the show this week. Didn’t like the addition of the pop songs that had nothing to do with the Marilyn show. Not much going on with the plot. I hope it improves! I thought McPhee did a pretty good job with the dancing, though! She obviously doesn’t have the chops of the Broadway dancers, but held her own.</p>