For a Broadway musical, the road to success is not easy. And winning the coveted Tony as Best Musical, which is the ultimate goal, is even more difficult. Such trials and tribulations are shown for a handful of shows, their creative teams and their performers. There is competition amongst the performers for roles, competition amongst the shows not only for box office but also limited investor dollars and that final Tony prize, and competition amongst those ultimately hired in the cast and crew for what they want to see happen in the show, both for the good of the show and their own personal benefit. And sometimes, personal life gets in the way of these professional goals. These problems not only happen for those new or working their ways up the ranks, such as performers Karen Cartwright and Ivy Lynn, and the writing team of Jimmy Collins and Kyle Bishop, but also seasoned veterans, such as the writing team of Tom Levitt and Julia Houston, womanizing director Derek Wills, and producer ... Written by Huggo
So all the overhype leading up to this show turned me off ahead of time. That and the thought that it was going to be a Glee-wannabe. I really hate when people cheapen original ideas by making knock-offs. I was sure I would not tune in. Then, I read a review that basically told me to discount this show as a Glee for adults b/c the music numbers are not the focus. So, I said, hmm, maybe I'll check it out. I am glad I did. The only relation this show has to Glee is it includes occasional singing and dancing (which all revolves around rehearsals/auditions for the musical). The show is not built around musical numbers. It is more a procedural that gives an insider perspective of Broadway and all the drama/reality of theater production. Also, not an American Idol fan so the idea of a runner-up being the star, also turned me off. Again, I have to stop assuming. Katherine McPhee was pretty good. Her chemistry with her boyfriend was very natural and their scenes were a big highlight for me. He's also a good unknown actor. I also am not a Debra Messing fan (ugh she drives me crazy) but she didn't annoy me either. My only favorite show of this season is Once Upon a Time which is very trippy and requires me to pay attention. This was a nice change from that. It was engaging and entertaining. I hope it gets stronger as the season goes on and I'm willing to give it a chance.