Michael Mayer Invites SMASH Writers to Attend ON A CLEAR DAY Lab for Research

The New York Times reveals today that director Michael Mayer, a consulting producer on the upcoming NBC series, Smash, has invited the creative team involved in crafting SMASH's workshop episodes to his own developmental lab of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever at the Vineyard. According to the report, attendees include "Mr. Grant, a former writer and producer on the ABC series "Brothers and Sisters" who is also a playwright and Tony-nominated actor ("Angels in America"); Ms. Reingold, also a playwright ("String Fever") who most recently wrote for HBO's "In Treatment"; Jason Grote ("Civilization"); and Elisa Zuritsky and Julie Rottenberg, a writing team who worked extensively on HBO's "Sex and the City." Head SMASH writer Teresa Rebeck will also be on hand.

Says Meyer of his invitation to the Smash team to attend the On A Clear Day forum in the Times: "There's a vibe in a workshop that is hard to imagine, the way the directors and writers and musicians and actors and choreographer interact, and how things unfold, say, once script rewrites come in. Most of the ‘Smash' writers are playwrights or have written for television, so this is a way for them to really immerse in the world of a musical." 

For the full report, click here.

On A Clear Day You Can See Forever features music by Burton Lane, lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, a new book by Peter Parnell based on the original book by Alan Jay Lerner, and reconceived and directed by Michael Mayer.  The Vineyard-produced lab will run from July 25 to July 30.  The production will opening on Broadway at the St. James Theatre starring Harry Connick Jr. on December 11, 2011.  Performances begin November 12, 2011.

Smash, which is about a group of people who come together to put on a Broadway musical was developed by NBC's Robert Greenblatt, Steven Spielberg, and Broadway producing team Craig Zadan and Neil Meron. Broadway's Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman - whose latest venture, Catch Me If You Can, is now running at the Neil Simon Theatre - wrote the music for the show. Michael Mayer directed the project, and playwright Theresa Rebeck penned the script.

The plot will follow an out-of-town tryout of a Broadway musical, and centers around a songwriting team (Debra Messing and Christian Borle) who write a musical about Marilyn Monroe based on an offhanded remark. They post a showstopping number on YouTube. When it's a viral hit, a producer (Anjelica Huston) who's looking to recapture success long past decides to produce the musical. There are two choices to play Marilyn: Karen (Katharine McPhee), a talented young newcomer, and Ivy (Megan Hilty), a theater veteran. Brian d'Arcy James has also been cast as Debra Messing's character's husband.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos