Sky Atlantic HD debuts new musical drama SMASH this April
SMASH, Saturday 21st April on Sky Atlantic HD & Sky Go
London (3 April, 2012): Sky Atlantic HD today announces that hotly anticipated new musical drama SMASH will premiere exclusively to Sky customers on the channel and on the move via Sky Go on Saturday 21st April.
Developed from an idea of Executive Producer and multiple Emmy® and Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg (ER, Schindler’s List), SMASH explores the subculture of musical theatre; celebrating the beauty and heartbreak of Broadway.
Boasting a stellar cast from stage and screen, SMASH stars Emmy® award winning actress Debra Messing (Will & Grace), Academy Award® winner Anjelica Huston (Prizzi’s Honor), Katharine McPhee (American Idol), Jack Davenport (Pirates of the Caribbean), Tony® Award nominee Christian Borle (Legally Blonde: The Musical), Megan Hilty (Wicked), Raza Jaffrey (Spooks) and Brian D’Arcy James (Ghost Town) and A-list guest stars Uma Thurman (Kill Bill) and Nick Jonas (Les Miserables).
SMASH centres on the complex and all-consuming process behind the production of an original Broadway musical. Successful songwriting duo and old friends Tom (Borle) and Julia (Messing) reunite to realise their dream of adapting the life story of screen icon Marilyn Monroe into a hit musical; recruiting tenacious producer Eileen (Huston) and brilliant director Derek (Davenport) to bring the production to the stage.
Casting of the title role sparks conflict and rivalry between Karen (McPhee), a youthful, inexperienced beauty desperate to find fame in the big city, and Ivy (Hilty), a stage veteran determined to leave the chorus line and finally get her big break.
From its genesis, the “Marilyn” project is a rollercoaster ride of dramatic highs and lows for its cast and crew that will culminate on opening night, when the audience will determine whether or not the show is a “Smash”.
Following strong critical and viewer response to the series’ US run, NBCUniversal recently announced that SMASH has been renewed for a second season. Among the US critical raves, The Los Angeles Times called the show “a triumph”, while USA Today described SMASH as “gloriously entertaining” and “wildly ambitious.”
SMASH premieres on Saturday 21 April exclusively on Sky Atlantic HD and on the move via Sky Go
For more information please visit www.skyatlantic.com
For further information please contact
Luke Morrison - Publicity Manager, Sky Atlantic HD
T: 020 7032 1479
E: Luke.Morrison@bskyb.com
Megan MacLeod - Publicist, Sky Movies HD, Sky Atlantic HD
T:
E: megan.macleod@bskyb.com
Notes to editor
Executive Produced by multiple Emmy® and Oscar® winner Steven Spielberg (ER, Schindler’s List), the SMASH pilot was written by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius, NYPD Blue). David Marshall Grant (Brothers and Sisters), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar®-winning Chicago, Hairspray) and Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey (United States of Tara, The Borgias) also serve as executive producers. Original songs are written by Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman (Hairspray, Catch Me If You Can), who also serve as executive producers.
SMASH is a production of Universal Television in association with DreamWorks Television and Madwoman in the Attic. The pilot was directed by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening, American Idiot).
NBCUniversal International Television Distribution, a division of NBCUniversal, is responsible for the distribution of NBCUniversal product to all forms of television and new media outside of the U.S. and Canada. This includes a rich library of more than 4,000 feature films and 75,000 television episodes, including current and classic titles, non-scripted programming, sports, news, long-form and short-form programming, and locally produced content from around the world.
