'Bombshell: In Concert': 'Smash' cast's virtual reunion makes fans emotional, gives them 'the chills'
Good news for 'Smash' fans. The cast of the beloved musical series reunited for a special one-night-only streaming event of Broadway's 2015 'Bombshell: In Concert'. Announced by The Actors Fund in association with People, the show featured a reunion of the NBC series cast and a first-ever broadcast of the 'Bomshell: In Concert' event. The show kicked off at 8 pm ET on May 20 and it benefits The Actors Fund, which is supporting artists in need during the coronavirus pandemic. The concert, which features songs from the series, was a special sold-out event in 2015 at Broadway's Minskoff Theater.
Oscar-winning actress Renée Zellweger introduced the 2020 stream. Julie Klausner (star of 'Difficult People') hosted the live reunion during the concert's intermission with original cast members including Christian Borle, Will Chase, Jaime Cepero, Brian d'Arcy James, Ann Harada, Jack Davenport, Megan Hilty, Jeremy Jordan, Katharine McPhee, Andy Mientus, Debra Messing, Leslie Odom Jr, Krysta Rodriguez and Wesley Taylor.
'Smash' was a scripted musical drama on NBC which ran for two seasons and ended in 2013. It was about the creation of a fictional Broadway musical Bombshell, the story of Marilyn Monroe's life. 'Smash' producer Bob Greenblatt spoke of the 2020 event in a statement. "I speak for Neil Meron and our wonderful creative team of Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman and Joshua Bergasse, and we are thrilled to help raise more money for the Actor’s Fund and all their good work during this difficult time," he said, adding, "Smash and Bombshell in Concert were thrilling experiences for us, and we are overjoyed that fans everywhere will get to finally see these amazing performances. We’re grateful to everyone at The Actors Fund and People for their love of the performing arts."
Fans on Twitter were in tears over the special reunion show. "I'm crying," says a fan while another wrote, "Yesssssssssss We have chills." Fans were "absolutely loving this" and pleading for the show to make a comeback, saying, "I'm loving this so much. I wish the show would come back." One fan wrote, "Bring back #Smash please!" and another wrote, "This is why you never delete a Twitter account."