Jennifer Hudsonis having a full-circle moment.
“That show meant so much to me, and apparently it meant a whole lot to others as well,” Hudson, 42, said on her self-titled talk show, explaining that her her role as fictional actress Veronica Moore on the series was the first time she got to experience a taste of what it would be like to be on Broadway.
Jennifer Hudson as Veronica Moore and Katharine McPhee as Karen Cartwright in ‘Smash’.Eric Liebowitz/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Eric Liebowitz/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Years later, in 2015, Hudson would live out those dreams for real, starring as Shug Avery in the Tony-winning revival ofThe Color Purple. “Steven Spielberg was a producer,” she said of the production, which also starredCynthia ErivoandDanielle Brooks. “I never would have guessed in that moment that one day, I would be able to be a producing partner beside him.”
She went on to explain that the gig is proof of a mantra she’s accepted called “nothing is just.”
“I always say, ‘If you give me the opportunity, I will make it work.’ So please think the same,” said Hudson. “Just know that whatever you do, don’t be like, ‘Oh, I’m just doing that’ because you never know what it may lead to next.'
Jennifer Hudson announces on ‘The Jennifer Hudson Show’ that she’ll help produce ‘Smash’ on Broadway.The Jennifer Hudson Show/ Youtube
The Jennifer Hudson Show/ Youtube
Smashwill open on Broadway in spring 2025.
Like the series, the musical will follow the making of a fictional musical called “Bombshell” about the life of famed Hollywood iconMarilyn Monroe. The score comes from Tony- and Grammy-winning duoMarc Shaiman and Scott Wittman(Some Like It Hot,Hairspray,Mary Poppins Returns,etc.), who famously penned over two dozen songs for the television show.
Many of Shaiman and Wittman’s songs, including the Emmy-nominated “Let Me Be Your Star,” will appear inSmashon stage. But the story will depart liberally from the series, so those expecting a backstage battle between Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee on screen) and Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) are in for a surprise.
Two of Broadway’s most seasoned craftsmen — Tony-nominatedRick Elice (Jersey Boys, Peter and the Starcatcher) and Tony-winner Bob Martin (The Prom, The Drowsy Chaperone) — co-wrote the book.
Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty in ‘Smash’.Mark Seliger/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Direction comes from 5-time Tony winner Susan Stroman, while Joshua Bergasse — who won an Emmy for his choreography onSmash— will once again be behind Marilyn’s moves.
CommunitystarYvette Nicole Brownwas also among in the production, playing a role that if she replicates in the Spring will mark her Broadway debut.
Hudson has produced on Broadway in the past to much success. She won a Tony award for being a part of the creative team behind 2002’s best musicalA Strange Loop, a trophy that completed her EGOT title.
In addition to her work with Spielberg onThe Color Purpleand her work onSmash, Hudson has collaborated with Shaiman, Wittman, Greenblatt and Meron before. She starred as Motormouth Maybelle in NBC’s production ofHairspray Live!in 2016.
Jennifer Hudson in ‘Smash’.Will Hart/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Will Hart/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Smashonly had two season on NBC, after premiering in February 2012, but it’s popularity has grown in the years since.
The cast — includingDebra Messing,Christian BorleandJeremy Jordan— reunited in June 2015 to perform a charity benefit concert of the songs from “Bombshell” at the Minskoff Theatre in New York City. It sold out in fifteen minutes.
It was filmed and eventually streamed during the early days of the pandemic in 2019 as a benefit for The Actor’s Fund (Entertainment Community Fund).
For more information onSmash,visit the show’s official website.
source: people.com
