Musical in TV's Smash be made into a real stage show

The glitzy, fictional Broadway musical featured in the TV show Smash might actually find its way to a stage.

Universal Stage Productions said on Monday it will develop Bombshell, a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe, into a live show. No casting was announced, and a book writer will be announced shortly.

The original songs on the TV show by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman, whose credits include the Tony-winning score for the 2007 musical Hairspray, will continue on the stage adaptation, as will original choreographer Joshua Bergasse, who has gone on to choreograph On The Town and Gigi.

Smash was a production of Universal Television. The series on NBC lasted two seasons and starred Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan, Katharine McPhee, Christian Borle and Debra Messing. The songs included Let Me Be Your Star and Hang the Moon.

"There is still a lot of love for Smash and a rabid fan base out there, and we're thrilled to be able to keep the dream alive as we work towards bringing Bombshell to theater audiences," Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, says in a statement.

In the show - created by playwright Theresa Rebeck, who left after the first season - viewers watched the long process of casting, composing, mounting and rehearsing a Broadway-bound musical. In the second season, a gritty, low-tech off-Broadway show called Hit List competed with Bombshell for the Tony Award.

Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who produced Smash, will lead the producing team of Bombshell and Steven Spielberg, the executive producer of the TV show, will also be involved in the stage version.