''Bombshell'' is an American musical with music and lyrics by

Marc Shaiman Marc Shaiman (; born October 22, 1959) is an American composer and lyricist for films, television, and theatre, best known for his collaborations with lyricist and director Scott Wittman. He wrote the music and co-wrote the lyrics for the Broadw ...

and

Scott Wittman Scott Wittman (born November 16, 1954) is an American director, lyricist, composer and writer for Broadway, concerts, and television. Life and career Wittman was raised in Nanuet, New York, graduated from Nanuet Senior High School in 1972 and a ...

based on the original fictitious musical from the first season of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

television series '' Smash''. The songs include soulful jazz anthems and upbeat pop songs. ''Bombshell'' is the life story of

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

. It tells the story of the aspiring starlet who transforms herself into a worldwide sex symbol, including her early life and her alleged affair with

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

. Despite the same name, and subject matter, this musical from ''SMASH'' is unrelated to the

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

musical from 2001 which ran at the

Grove Street Playhouse The Grove Street Playhouse, also known during its existence as the Courtyard Playhouse, was an off-Broadway theatre located on Grove Street in the West Village The West Village is a neighborhood in the western section of the larger Greenw ...

. In the television series, ''Bombshell'' is an attempt by ''Smash'' characters Julia Houston (

Debra Messing Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as ''Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) and ...

) and Tom Levitt (

Christian Borle Christian Dominique Borle (born October 1, 1973) is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in ''Peter and the Starcatcher'' and as William Shakespeare in ''Something Rotten!''. Borle also ...

) to write their next

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

sensation, with book and lyrics by Julia and music by Tom. ''Bombshell'' centers around Marilyn Monroe,

Joe DiMaggio Joseph Paul DiMaggio (November 25, 1914 – March 8, 1999), nicknamed "Joltin' Joe", "The Yankee Clipper" and "Joe D.", was an American baseball center fielder who played his entire 13-year career in Major League Baseball for the New York Yank ...

, and Kennedy. A

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

featuring the music from the musical was released in 2013. The songs were featured in a one-night charity concert, and the musical is being adapted to a real stage musical on Broadway.

Plot

Act 1

At the opening of the show, is

Norma Jeane Mortenson Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

, before she changed her name to Marilyn Monroe. Her first marriage has just ended due to her all consuming drive to be a movie star ("Let Me Be Your Star"). We flash back to the 10-year-old Norma Jeane, who is being dropped off at

Grauman's Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chines ...

by her single mother, Gladys Mortensen, a mentally unstable film cutter who uses the courtyard filled with movie stars' foot and hand prints to babysit for her daughter ("At Your Feet"). Flash forward to the adult Norma Jeane, who is now an actress often confronted with the casting couch. We see a large number of aspiring actresses sneak into film producer

Darryl F. Zanuck Darryl Francis Zanuck (September 5, 1902December 22, 1979) was an American film producer and studio executive; he earlier contributed stories for films starting in the silent era. He played a major part in the Hollywood studio system as one of ...

's office and bribe him with sexual favors to be cast in his films. These young women are led by Norma Jeane, and Zanuck seems to enjoy their advances ("Smash!"). Norma Jeane pays her bills by modeling. At one photo shoot, she spies a book of

Yeats William Butler Yeats (13 June 186528 January 1939) was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th-century literature. He was a driving force behind the Irish Literary Revival and became a pillar of the Irish litera ...

' poetry on the shelf and surprises the photographer with her knowledge of the poet's work as she sings of her history with men. But even as she quotes Yeats, the song ends with her naked in the iconic calendar pose ("Never Give All the Heart"). Norma Jeane finds herself in the middle of a contract with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

, around 1946. This is when, with the help of 20th Century Fox executive

Ben Lyon Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American film actor and a studio executive at 20th Century-Fox who later acted in British radio, films and TV. Early life and career Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Alvine ...

, she lands a screen test, during which she selects the name Marilyn Monroe for herself, and this number sees the transformation from Norma Jeane into Marilyn ("20th Century Fox Mambo"). On Marilyn's first date with baseball player

, the two go to a drive-in movie, and other lovers back them up as they sing this romantic duet ("History Is Made At Night"). After Joe and Marilyn's date, Marilyn goes straight to the ball field for some due diligence, and sings with the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...

("The National Pastime"). Joe & Marilyn arrive back in America from their honeymoon. Joe does his best to domesticate her with the promise of a simpler life ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith"). Joe & Marilyn are honeymooning in Japan. Marilyn is asked to perform for the troops in Korea. Joe sees firsthand how men react to her and how she loves it ("I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl"). Film producer

complaining to his studio executives about Marilyn Monroe's lack of professionalism. The male executives are all wearing nothing but towels, true to Zanuck's actual studio executives ("Don't Say Yes Until I Finish Talking"). Marilyn shoots a scene from the 1954 film

The Seven Year Itch ''The Seven Year Itch'' is a 1955 American romantic comedy film directed by Billy Wilder, from a screenplay he co-wrote with George Axelrod from the 1952 three-act play. The film stars Marilyn Monroe and Tom Ewell, who reprised his stage role. ...

in which the air from a subway grating must blow her skirt up. As the director orders for the scene to be reshot time and time again, a large crowd gathers to watch Marilyn. Joe DiMaggio is infuriated by the spectacle, which leads to his eventual divorce from Marilyn ("On Lexington & 52nd Street"). Marilyn is now in Hollywood on her next film, as the divorce from Joe becomes official, and the film wraps. Marilyn resolves to keep going with the only family she knows, the film crew. They smile at her attempt at camaraderie, but long fed up with her on-set behavior, they throw all her wrap presents away, which she discovers as the curtain falls on Act One ("Cut, Print... Moving On").

Act 2

Making one picture after another, Marilyn becomes dissatisfied with the roles she is being offered, "retires" from pictures and flies off to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where she is met by a phalanx of reporters and fans at Idelwild Airport ("Public Relations"). In 1955, Marilyn studies with

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

the Actors Studio The Actors Studio is a membership organization for professional actors, theatre directors and playwrights at 432 44th Street (Manhattan), West 44th Street between Ninth Avenue (Manhattan), Ninth and Tenth Avenue (Manhattan), Tenth avenues in the ...

in New York City. Being limited by typecasting, she meets with

Cheryl Crawford Cheryl Crawford (September 24, 1902 – October 7, 1986) was an American theatre producer and director. Biography Born in Akron, Ohio, Crawford majored in drama at Smith College. Following graduation in 1925, she moved to New York City and ...

before interviewing with Lee and being accepted into the Actors Studio ("Dig Deep"). Mariliyn is huddled around a piano at a party in New York. Marilyn meets esteemed playwright

Arthur Miller Arthur Asher Miller (October 17, 1915 – February 10, 2005) was an American playwright, essayist and screenwriter in the 20th-century American theater. Among his most popular plays are '' All My Sons'' (1947), ''Death of a Salesman'' ( ...

. She tells him of how her often-institutionalized mother bought a piano once on an infrequent visit home, which is Norma Jeane's only memory of a happy moment between her and her mother, and that after searching for years, she found the actual piano, bought it, and now takes it with her wherever she lives. ("Second Hand White Baby Grand"). Arthur is deeply touched, they fall in love and marry. Marilyn, with newfound confidence in her acting skills, goes to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to film

The Prince & The Showgirl ''The Prince and the Showgirl'' (originally titled '' The Sleeping Prince'') is a 1957 British romantic comedy film starring Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier, who also served as director and producer. The screenplay written by Terence Ratti ...

opposite

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

. Unfortunately, Olivier treats her like a "no talent" and she admits to the apprentice hired to look after her that she wonders if the auditioning and always having to prove herself will ever stop ("They Just Keep Moving the Line"). Marilyn begrudgingly heading back to Hollywood to film

Some Like It Hot ''Some Like It Hot'' is a 1959 American crime comedy film directed, produced and co-written by Billy Wilder. It stars Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, with George Raft, Pat O'Brien, Joe E. Brown, Joan Shawlee, Grace Lee Whitney and N ...

, but is so unhappy about still having to play the dumb blonde that she begins spiraling down, keeping the crew waiting more than ever, as she drinks and takes pills ("Let's Be Bad"). Arthur Miller realizes he can't help with her behavior, or even stay with Marilyn anymore ("The Right Regrets"). Marilyn is on her own back in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. She attends a fundraiser for

JFK John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land ...

, where

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

entertains, rallying the super glamorous guests ("(Let's Start) Tomorrow Tonight"). Sparks fly between Marilyn and JFK, and they begin to sneak off together whenever he can manage to get away. But it is a degrading and doomed relationship ("Our Little Secret"). Marilyn fantasizes about visiting her retired mother at the sanitarium, where - in the dream - Gladys says all the things to Marilyn that she always wanted to hear ("Hang the Moon"). Marilyn is in bed. She calls up a man to keep her company, but he denies her. At the end of the number, it is implied that she dies ("Second Hand White Baby Grand (Reprise)"). Years after their divorce, Marilyn's ex-husband

mourns at her funeral. He brings a rose to set on her grave and sadly reminisces about how the two fell apart ("Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Reprise)"). Marilyn posthumously reflects on her life and begs the audience not to let her trials and tribulations be forgotten. More than anything, she wants her legacy to live on, even in the little things of everyday life ("Don't Forget Me").

Productions

Benefit concert

Shaiman and Wittman said a charitable organization may put on a concert featuring songs from ''Bombshell'': "A concert could feature the cast and additional performers from Broadway. That would be a wonderful way for the show to live on". In December 2014, it was announced that ''Bombshell'' would see life on Broadway as a special, one-night-only benefit event in 2015. ''Smash'' executive producers

Neil Meron Neil Meron (born October 26, 1955) is an American film producer known for producing the 2002 film ''Chicago'' and the 2007 film ''Hairspray''. With partner Craig Zadan he ran the production company Storyline Entertainment until Zadan's death in ...

and

Craig Zadan Craig Zadan (April 15, 1949 – August 20, 2018) was an American producer and writer. Working alone and with Neil Meron, his partner in the production company Storyline Entertainment, he produced such films as ''Footloose'', ''Chicago'' and ...

produced the show and some of the original ''Smash'' cast, including

Megan Hilty Megan Kathleen Hilty (born March 29, 1981) is an American actress and singer. She rose to prominence for her roles in Broadway musicals, including her performance as Glinda the Good Witch in ''Wicked'', Doralee Rhodes in '' 9 to 5: The Musical'', ...

as Monroe, also reprised their roles. The single Monday June 8 performance in the

Minskoff Theatre The Minskoff Theatre is a Broadway theater on the third floor of the One Astor Plaza office building in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1973, it is operated by the Nederlander Organization and is named afte ...

on Broadway was sold-out.

Original Broadway production

During production of the show, executive producer Craig Zadan said: "We stand on the set, watch the ''Bombshell'' numbers and say, "Wouldn’t this be great on Broadway? And so far that’s where we’ve left it. Our priority now is producing a great TV show". In June 2015 following the sold-out performance at the Minskoff Theatre, it was announced that ''Bombshell'' would head to the

stage. The executive producers of ''Smash'' and the ''Bombshell'' concert,

and

, planned to executive produce the Broadway production. However, as of 2017, it was still in development, and

died in 2018. In 2020, it was revealed SMASH would be turned into a musical, rather than ''Bombshell'', and on May 20, 2022 Marc Shaiman,

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...

, and Megan Hilty among others, completed the first read through of the new show.

Musical numbers

TV Show/Album

; Act I * "Let Me Be Your Star" –

* "At Your Feet" – Gladys, Young Norma Jeane, Tourists and Hollywood Citizens * "Smash!" – Aspiring Actresses * "Never Give All the Heart" – Norma Jeane * "The 20th Century Fox Mambo" – Marilyn Monroe and

Twentieth Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

Studio Staff * "The National Pastime" – Marilyn and New York Yankees * "History is Made at Night" – Marilyn,

and Lovers * "I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl" – Marilyn and Troops * "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" – Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio * "Don't Say Yes Until I Finish Talking" –

and Studio Executives * "On Lexington & 52nd Street" – Joe DiMaggio, Marilyn, Reporter, and New York Citizens * "Cut, Print...Moving On" – Marilyn and Studio Staff ; Act II * "Dig Deep" – Marilyn,

and Students * "Public Relations" – Marilyn and Press * "Second Hand White Baby Grand" – Marilyn * "They Just Keep Moving the Line" – Marilyn * "Let's Be Bad" – Marilyn and the cast of ''

'' * "The Right Regrets" –

* "(Let's Start) Tomorrow Tonight" - Nat King Cole * "Our Little Secret" –

and Marilyn * "Hang the Moon" – Gladys and Marilyn * "Second Hand White Baby Grand (Reprise)" - Marilyn Monroe * "Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Reprise)" - Joe DiMaggio * "Don't Forget Me" – Marilyn

Benefit Concert

; Act I * "Let Me Be Your Star" –

Katharine McPhee Katharine Hope McPhee (born March 25, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. In May 2006, she rose to fame as the runner-up on the fifth season of ''American Idol.'' Her eponymous debut album was released on RCA Records on Janua ...

and

* "At Your Feet"‡ –

Donna McKechnie Donna McKechnie (born November 16, 1942) is an American musical theater dancer, singer, actress, and choreographer. She is known for her professional and personal relationship with choreographer Michael Bennett, with whom she collaborated on ...

& Ripley Sobo * "The 20th Century Fox Mambo" –

* "Never Give All the Heart" –

* "The National Pastime" –

* "History is Made at Night" –

and

Will Chase Frank William Chase (born September 12, 1970) is a Tony Award-nominated American actor, director, and singer, best known for his work on Broadway and for his role as country superstar Luke Wheeler on ABC's ''Nashville''. Early life and educatio ...

* "I Never Met a Wolf Who Didn't Love to Howl" –

Ann Harada Ann Harada (born February 3, 1964) is an American actress and singer who was first known for the musical ''Avenue Q'', in which she originated the role of Christmas Eve, the heavily accented Japanese therapist. Early life Harada was born in Hon ...

* "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" –

and

* "Don't Say Yes Until I Finish Talking" –

* "On Lexington & 52nd Street" –

* "They Just Keep Moving the Line" –

; Act II * "Cut, Print...Moving On" – Jeremy Jordan * "Public Relations" –

* "Second Hand White Baby Grand" –

* "(Let's Start) Tomorrow Tonight" –

Leslie Odom Jr. Leslie Lloyd Odom Jr. (; born August 6, 1981) is an American actor and singer. He made his acting debut on Broadway in 1998 and first gained recognition for his portrayal of Aaron Burr in the musical ''Hamilton'', which earned him a Tony Award f ...

* "The Right Regrets" – Brian D'Arcy James * "Let's Be Bad" –

* "Hang the Moon" –

and

* "Don't Forget Me" –

and

* "Big Finish" (Encore) –

and

‡ Number cut from the People.com broadcast of the production

Casts and characters

External links

References

{{Smash Fictional musicals Smash (TV series) Works about Marilyn Monroe Cultural depictions of Marilyn Monroe Broadway musicals