Joshua Bergasse talks ‘Smash’: From TV to Broadway

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Thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat! This is a very exciting development that I know a lot of people are thrilled to see. To jump right in, I’d love to know what it’s like as an artist to return to a version of a project after so many years away, and what the passage of time has done to your growth and development as a person and artist. How has the time between 2012 and now changed your approach, or improved your efficiency?

“I like to think I’ve grown as an artist, as a choreographer, as a storyteller and as a collaborator. It was over 12 years ago when we started working. I’ve had a lot of experiences in life and in my career since then. I’m a little more seasoned and bring that to this experience. Specifically, efficiency of process, being able to read the room and collaboration skills. I’ve had successes and I’ve had failures and you learn from them, especially the failures. I learned I need to listen to my collaborators more or request advice from people. With the wisdom of aging, you don’t think you know everything. These days, I say, ‘Let’s put all these those ideas together, and we’ll figure out the best way to make the show good and to make the story clear.’”

Joshua Bergasse. Photo by Lee Cherry.

There are so many parts that go into the success of a Broadway show, or any production. One of the big ones is casting. Can you share a little about what that process looks like from your end?

“When you’re putting together a show that’s this complicated, and this is a very complicated show because it has a lot of principals, it means that the ensemble – the dancers – have to understudy all these principals. They have to have the vocal ability, they have to have the acting ability, and be the right type to understudy and go on. The show has to be great every night, even if the principals are out. So, it’s challenging. It’s a constant negotiation with other departments. There may be a great dancer, but maybe they’re not the right type of dancer. I find great, great dancers. But can they cover a principal, or can they sing tenor in this score? For example, this dancer is not a tenor. He’s more of a baritone, but he’s so great. They have to check off so many boxes. So casting was very, very challenging.”

Joshua Bergasse. Photo by Lee Cherry.

The original series ran for two seasons and had a lot of subplots and tons of musical numbers. How is the stage production different, knowing it’s impossible to include much of the story from television?

“We had so many great numbers in the TV show, and we can’t just pull off them in this new iteration because they meant something different in the TV series. Now, the story is slightly different and with the new writers, and the tone is completely different. The show was very dramatic, and the tone of this is a comedy. It’s a fall-out-of-your-seat-laughing comedy. I think they’ve done an amazing job, and that’s why it took so long. It took 10 years. How do you write this show to include the music that was so popular and but also the competition between Karen and Ivy, and the backstage shenanigans? If you didn’t watch the TV show, you are not going to be lost one bit. If you did watch the TV show, you’re going to love it and appreciate it.”

You teach a lot, you choreograph a lot, and you see a ton of dancers working toward their goals. From your vantage point at this stage in your career, what advice or tips do you have for dancers on their way?

“It’s no secret that on Broadway you have to be able to sing a bit. The first thing I tell people who want to be on Broadway is – are you singing? Get a coach and start singing privately, and really train your voice. Then, start singing in front of people so you get over the nerves. When you’re auditioning, you never know what you’re really auditioning for. You might come in to the Smash audition, and the combo was harder than a lot of the stuff I choreographed in the show. But I want to know, who are the really tough dancers? If you couldn’t do it, it didn’t necessarily mean you were cut. It was just me getting information. Maybe you’re not right for Smash, but you might be right for this other show that I’m doing. So I think, ‘Oh, I’m going to totally steal this person for this other show,’ and I do that all the time.”

Joshua Bergasse. Photo by Lee Cherry.

When you say you’re looking for tough dancers, what does that mean to you?

“It’s not just technique, and it’s not just physical ability. It’s being able to not lose your cool, still perform and still sell the audition, even though you feel like other people are better dancers. But that doesn’t mean anything, you know? I cut sadly, very sad. I told my creative team, ‘This is devastating to me, because I’m cutting dancers that I know are the best dancers in New York, but they’re just not right for this show. They’re right for 1,000 other shows, not for this one.’ It’s just due to the needs of the show. It’s hard for them. I used to audition, and I know how each audition you place so much importance on – because that’s what we do as artists. We wear our hearts on our sleeves. But if I could tell my younger self something? As soon as you walk out of that audition, if you didn’t get it, figure out…what do I have to do to get the next one? How can I be better or, know that I did nothing wrong…this was not about me. Even if you’re not feeling your best, do your best. Always put your best foot forward. Put your best self forward. Do your best work, because you never know.”