From: NewNowNext
Years later many still mourn the cancellation of NBC’s Broadway behind-the-scenes musical series, Smash.
Luckily, there are still fans keeping the show alive, and apparently some of them work on Girls.
The latest episode of the HBO series focused on Elijah (Andrew Rannells), Hannah (Lena Dunham)’s flamboyant gay best friend. In the episode Elijah attends an open casting call for the musical adaptation of the classic ’90s movie, White Men Can’t Jump.
While talking to another actor auditioning for the show Elijah decides instead of singing “Santa Fe” from Newsies for his audition piece, he goes with “Let Me Be Your Star,” the show-stopping number originally sung on Smash by Megan Hilty and Katherine McPhee.
“Our show runner Jenni Konner and I both have a real obsession with Smash,” Rannells told A.V. Club. “Jenni, because I think she just loves the idea of the musical theater world, and I had so many friends on that show.”
“It just hit me, all of a sudden,” he added. “I was like, Jenni, I should sing ‘Let Me Be Your Star.’”
The series even got the blessing of Smash songwriter Marc Shaiman.
“It was a very crazy day because I had done Hairspray very briefly with Marissa Jaret Winokur who was playing the casting director in last night’s episode, and then to have [Hairspray writer] Marc come to the set that morning and have this little Hairspray reunion—it was really special,” Rannells said.
“It was a very fun day and a strange mashup of different worlds. I’ve managed to keep my musical theater life very separate from my television career, and then to get to do it all together was very exciting.”
How does he fare singing a song originally meant for an actress playing Marilyn Monroe? Judge for yourself in the clip below.
There were rumors of bringing Smash’s Marilyn Monroe musical, Bombshell, to the Great White Way, might we suggest Rannells as an understudy when it becomes Broadway-bound?
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