Smash star-studded cast includes Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Katharine McPhee, Anjelica Huston and Uma Thurman among many others.
Here's a promotional five-minute video of the series, Behind the Scenes, the music of Smash. I know the video clip can be way too difficult for intermediate English learners, as it is fast-paced, with short out-of-context scenes and lots of songs. To make matters worse most students won't know anything about the series.
Anyway, as the clip also includes actors' comments and opinions, I think that gives us a chance to come face-to-face with authentic raw listening material.
Self-study activity:
Watch the clip through and enjoy it.
Watch the clip again and complete the actors' opinions with the missing words.
0’21” Debra Messing
Smash is about two actresses who are (1) ... for the role of a lifetime.
0’35” Katharine McPhee
Do you take your chances with the (2) ... or do you go with the veteran?
0’47” Katharine McPhee
You got to dance better, you got to sing better, you got to act it better to have one chance of standing in the (3) ... .
0’59” Christian Borle
One of the most exciting aspects of the show is that the story is told by music.
1’10” Craig Zadan
We set out to do something that no series has ever really done before. We’re creating (4) ... this musical about Marilyn Monroe.
1’ 35” Jack Davenport
They really are sort of writing a musical in sort of in tandem with the show.
1’46” Christian Borle
You don’t have to be familiar or even in love with the world of theater to (5) ... what we are trying to do here.
1’53” Megan Hilty
These songs make sense within the story and they drive the (6) ... forward.
2’12” Anjelica Huston
We have two brilliant song writers, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman.
2’29” Anjelica Huston
They seem to be a kind of (7) ... pit of talent. They come up with at least two original songs per episode.
2’45” Jack Davenport
If you’re going to do a musical about Marilyn Monroe they better be good songs. And they’re (8) ... .
2’58” Marc Shaiman
What we’ve discovered is were really making a musical of the characters on Smash. The musical that their writing of Marilyn Monroe becomes just a (9) ... . Most of the songs end up speaking to what is going on with the characters emotionally. So it was really fascinating to write this.
3’25” Neil Meron
There is so many moving parts its like doing an action film but instead of action sequences you have musical numbers.
3’58” Christian Borle
I don’t know where else on television you’re going to find original songs every week.
4’05” Craig Zadan
Smash is not an (10) ... that if you love Broadway or love the theater you’ll like the show and if you don’t you wouldn’t be interested. Smash above everything else is about stories everybody can relate to.
4’25” Megan Hilty
I’m not a doctor but I loved (11) ... . It’s not about medical procedures it’s about the drama that’s going on all around it.
4’35” Neil Meron
At the very end of the day it is a show about wish (12) ... .
4’39” Katharine McPhee
It’s about dreams and about how no dream is too big.
4’45” Jack Davenport
Who doesn’t enjoy watching extraordinarily talented young people do something difficult really well?
5’03” Jack Davenport
Hell Yeah.
Key:
1 battling 2 newcomer 3 spotlight 4 piece by piece 5 appreciate 6 plot 7 bottomless 8 killer 9 conduit 10 inside show 11 ER 12 fulfillment
