Rick Elice. Photo Courtesy of Rick Elice, 'Water for Elephants'
Tony nominee Rick Elice chatted about his new Broadway musical “Smash.”
How was your experience writing the musical “Smash”?
Bob Martin and I were enjoying collaborating on another piece, so we jumped at the chance to pitch Marc (Shaiman) and Scott (Wittman) an idea that would feature the terrific songs they’d written for the TV series – basically a comedy about the joys and horrors of making a musical.
Bob and I would meet and write and laugh, Marc and Scott would call us and we’d laugh some more.
After a while, we had a draft that we liked, and that led to a chance to put together a group of great comedic actors to read it for Bob Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg. (This is not a sentence I ever imagined I would write.)
They laughed a lot too, and gave us the thumbs-up to move forward. They also delivered the legendary Susan Stroman into the director’s chair. I mean, come on!
This was years ago now, but it feels like five minutes, because I’ve had such a blast.
What did the show “Smash” teach you about yourself?
I grew up here in New York. My parents started taking my brother and me to see shows when I was really young. Theater became a grand passion for me.
Over the past 45 years, I’ve held just about every job you can have in the theater, onstage, backstage, offstage, behind-the-scenes.
Theater’s more than a job for me, it’s a life. And there’s a lot of us out there. Smash reminds me of that; of the strange, extraordinary crowd of people who keep going at it, over and over, as long as we can.
“Smash” has made me find a whole new passion in the grand passion of my life.
What motivates you each day as a writer?
Deadlines. I spent a lot of years at an ad agency, so deadlines are in my DNA. Also, collaboration.
I love the process of talking a story into existence, and it’s a lot more interesting when you’re in conversation with someone else.
Are you excited about this year’s Roger Rees ceremony? What can we expect?
I’m always excited about the Roger Rees Awards, because it gives high school kids a chance to be seen and heard, a chance to amaze an esteemed panel of judges, a chance for recognition and financial support to pursue a career in the theater, and of course, because it honors Roger, who devoted so much of his life to mentoring young people with a passion for theater.
And this year will be the first time that the big show and presentation will take place in an actual theater – Symphony Space – and in the evening, which’ll make it feel like more of a show for the students. Very exciting. May 19.Check it out!
What is your advice for hopefuls who wish to go into the entertainment industry professionally?
The industry is very welcoming, so come one, come all. Acceptance and respect is our stock-in-trade. If performing or composing or writing is what you burn to do, see as much as you can, read as much as you can, speak the speech and sing the songs as much as you can.
Know everything about what’s been done; what’s been successful, what’s failed. Seek out people who can tell you what they’ve done, or what was done before. Theater is a tradition that goes back thousands of years.
There’s so much to learn from what’s come before. Study it. Get it in your bones. Be part of that great chain that reaches back generations, and forward into the future. And if any of that seems cringe or boring or cheesy, then find something else.
What do your plans for the future include?
I plunge back into a half-dozen projects that are all in different stages of development, with gratitude to my collaborators on those projects who’ve been very patient during the gestation period for Smash.
Congrats on four career Tony nominations… How did those feel?
Four nominations are awesome. If the stars are in alignment, maybe there’ll be some more. Or maybe even a win. That would be swell. But just to be able to work in this business that I’ve loved all my life – that’s the real win. Aren’t we lucky!
What’s the one thing you want our readers to get out of “Smash”?
The team behind Smash represents dozens and dozens of shows that’ve come before. Smash is our collective hat-tip to the artists who’ve inspired us all our lives, and who continue to inspire us every day.
But more than that, “Smash” is our collective love letter to Broadway, and to the audience – a love letter to the people who work on shows, and to the people who come to see them.
I want all your readers to enjoy that special goosebump feeling when you receive a love letter, open it, and smile.
To learn more about “Smash” the musical, check out its official website.
