On Broadway (5 Feb. 2013)

After a successful run in Boston with Karen in the lead, "Bombshell" seems destined for Broadway, making Karen a Broadway superstar. As such, Karen is now part of the show's power team, and... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Morris

Writers:

Theresa Rebeck (creator), Joshua Safran

Stars:

Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Debra Messing	...	Julia Houston
Jack Davenport	...	Derek Wills
Katharine McPhee	...	Karen Cartwright
Christian Borle	...	Tom Levitt
Megan Hilty	...	Ivy Lynn
Jeremy Jordan	...	Jimmy Collins
Leslie Odom Jr.	...	Sam Strickland
Krysta Rodriguez	...	Ana Vargas
Andy Mientus	...	Kyle Bishop
Anjelica Huston	...	Eileen Rand
Michael Cristofer	...	Jerry Rand
Thorsten Kaye	...	Nick Felder
Brian d'Arcy James	...	Frank Houston
Jennifer Hudson	...	Veronica Moore
Wesley Taylor	...	Bobby

Storyline

After a successful run in Boston with Karen in the lead, "Bombshell" seems destined for Broadway, making Karen a Broadway superstar. As such, Karen is now part of the show's power team, and, based on advice she gets from Broadway star Veronica Moore, she can make whatever requests she wants to protect the material. Despite most of the cast and crew being automatically rehired for the Broadway run, Karen has the power to dismiss Ivy, who not only tried whatever she could to thwart Karen's success, but was also the reason for her break up with Dev. Ivy, in turn, does whatever she can to secure her place in the show. The road to Broadway may not be a totally smooth one as Eileen's personal life takes its toll on her professional life. Meanwhile, Julia, who has not read the reviews, is unaware that her contributions were the one heavily criticized area of the show. But she and Frank try to repair their marriage following Julia's affair, which may continue to preoccupy her thoughts.

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Plot Keywords:

husband wife conflict | break up | journalist | dressing room | revenge | 

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Genres:

Drama | Musical

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 February 2013 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks Television, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

43 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Goofs

The distance between Karen and the bar when she's talking to Kyle changes dramatically between cuts.

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Soundtracks

"Mama Makes Three"
Music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman
Performed by Jennifer Hudson and the stage ensemble

User Reviews

Smash On Broadway

Closing Night of the Boston performances in a montage as Karen sings "Cut, Print... Moving On". All the characters return home to their new lives. Everyone seems happy about Boston but there is so much more to do. Karen is asked to do a performance while Ivy must worry about her position in the show. The reviews are in but Julia wants none of it. Derek brings Karen to see Veronica Moore (Jennifer Hudson) in her show with a performance of "Mama Makes Three". Karen meets Veronica backstage being offered some advice on keeping good in the work. Jerry once again shows up out of no where and Eileen threatens to throw her famous drink in his face. Jerry has a secret plan just adding to the melodrama. Ivy and Karen are not getting along and Ivy must ask the problematic Julia for some advice on how to deal with the tension. Michael Reidel makes another appearance representing new york theatre critics, Karen meets him but she has just met Jimmy (Jeremy Jordan) a mean waiter.. Everyone is getting new job offers while the show is still in production. No one knows about Julia cheating on her husband with Michael. At the party to cause a distraction Karen and Veronica sing "On Broadway" together. Derek is just about to kiss Karen after the performance but Ivy walks in and after he goes after her she learns she is no longer in the show. Frank gets mad leaving and screaming all the drama including the recent scandal of Derek with the women he has worked with. Ivy try's to apologise to Karen but it is not accepted once again. The show once again takes a hit with an investigation into the finance of the show. Julia must stay with Tom as she seems depressed due to the drama. Ivy now must audition again singing "Don't Dream It's Over". Karen goes to a bar and is recognized by a fan also hearing a performance by Jimmy singing his original song "Broadway, Here I Come!". Not a strong return and while Hudson was great most of the writing was terrible. During the party scene I felt like laughing so much at the blank stares from nearly every character. Eileen is the worst character ever and McPhee has no talent playing the boring lead.

EPISODE GRADE: D (MVP: Jennifer Hudson)