CONCORD THEATRICALS ACQUIRES EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE LICENSING RIGHTS FOR “SMASH”
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Rick Miramontez / Morgan Zysman
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FOR RELEASE ON MONDAY, JUNE 1, PLEASE
CONCORD THEATRICALS
ACQUIRES EXCLUSIVE WORLDWIDE LICENSING RIGHTS FOR
“SMASH”
Photo credit to Matthew Murphy.
New York, NY (June 1, 2026) – Concord Theatricals is excited to announce that it has secured exclusive worldwide licensing rights to Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Rick Elice and Bob Martin’s Tony Award-nominated, critically acclaimed musical SMASH, a musical about a musical about Marilyn. For more information, please visit concordsho.ws/SMASH. Today is the centennial of Marilyn Monroe’s birth.
To download hi-res art, click HERE. The images, which feature the original Broadway cast, linked herein are for use in connection with articles related to this press release only.
SMASH features a score by Tony, two-time Emmy and two-time GRAMMY Award-winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman – who wrote over two dozen songs for the eponymous NBC television series and new songs for the stage version – and a book by two of Broadway’s most seasoned craftsmen, four-time Tony nominee Rick Elice and Tony winner Bob Martin.
Said Shaiman & Wittman, “We are so happy that Concord Theatricals will be ‘Moving The Line’ for SMASH, so that people all across the country can join in with ‘The National Pastime,’ roll out their ‘Secondhand White Baby Grands’ and sing out to the world ‘LET ME BE YOUR STAR!’”
“I grew up in New York, when theater tickets were cheaper than a movie,” said Elice. “So on rainy Saturdays as a kid, I’d try to see a show. Finally, in high school, we were able to license a musical and put it on for all our friends and families. It was the happiest I’d ever been. Concord handles three of my shows now – but SMASH is gonna be special, because it’s not just a musical, it’s a love letter to musicals. I can’t wait for students to dig into Marc and Scott’s fantastic songs. I think it’ll inspire a whole new generation of theater kids, just like working on it was such a joyful time for me.”
“SMASH was a labor of love,” said Martin. “I am thankful for Concord’s support during the development process and thrilled that they are partnering with us to bring this big, sassy, ballsy, flashy, fun, singing, dancing celebration to the world!”
“We’re honored to continue our relationship with these always-fabulous authors,” said Sean Patrick Flahaven, Chief Theatricals Executive of Concord and a producer of the SMASH cast recording. “I’ve been fortunate to work with Marc and Scott since they were writing the TV series and look forward to producers and audiences worldwide embracing the backstage drama, glamour, and powerhouse songs of SMASH.”
SMASH, inspired by the hit television series, is the perfect musical-lover’s musical. Get ready for all the backstage pandemonium as opening night approaches for Bombshell, the splashy new show about Marilyn Monroe. Nearly breaking under the pressure, legendary Broadway star Ivy Lynn causes a series of hilarious setbacks and surprises that bring a diva director, a bewildered producer, two exasperated authors, one eager understudy and an entire company to its knees. But the curtain’s going up, no matter what!
During the show’s Broadway run at the Imperial Theatre in 2025, Concord Theatricals Recordings released the Original Broadway Cast Recording of SMASH. The album, available on digital, CD and vinyl HERE, features original Broadway cast members Robyn Hurder, Brooks Ashmanskas, Krysta Rodriguez, John Behlmann, Kristine Nielsen, Caroline Bowman, Jacqueline B. Arnold, Bella Coppola, Casey Garvin, Nicholas Matos, Megan Kane, and more.
SMASH is based in part on the NBC television series created by Theresa Rebeck and produced by Universal Television. The stage adaptation opened on Broadway on April 10, 2025, at the Imperial Theatre under the direction of five-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman with choreography by Emmy-winning and Tony-nominated Joshua Bergasse.
BIOGRAPHIES
Concord Theatricals is the world’s most significant theatrical company, comprising the catalogs of R&H Theatricals, Tams-Witmark, Samuel French, The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection, Dramatists Play Service and Playscripts, plus over one hundred new signings each year. Our unparalleled roster includes the work of Irving Berlin, Agatha Christie, George & Ira Gershwin, James Graham, Katori Hall, Marvin Hamlisch, Lorraine Hansberry, Kander & Ebb, Kitt & Yorkey, Marlow & Moss, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Arthur Miller, Dominique Morisseau, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Thornton Wilder, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions. We are the only firm providing truly comprehensive services to the creators and producers of plays and musicals, including theatrical licensing, music publishing, script publishing, cast recording and first-class producing. As a producer and record label, the company has won three Tony Awards and two GRAMMY Awards in the past six years. www.concordtheatricals.com
Marc Shaiman (Composer/Co-Lyricist) is a composer/lyricist/arranger/performer and now New York Times bestselling author (Never Mind the Happy – Showbiz Stories From a Sore Winner) who has earned seven Oscar nominations (for Mary Poppins Returns, Sleepless in Seattle, Patch Adams, The First Wives Club, The American President and South Park), a Tony Award (for Hairspray), two Grammy Awards (for Hairspray and Some Like It Hot) and two Emmy Awards (for “The Oscars with Billy Crystal” and “Only Murders In The Building”). He has earned additional nominations and huzzahs for the films Beaches, When Harry Met Sally, City Slickers, The Addams Family, Sister Act, A Few Good Men and The Bucket List; the Broadway shows Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, Catch Me If You Can and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; the television shows “Saturday Night Live,” “The Academy Awards” and “Prop 8: The Musical”; and for recordings with Bette Midler, Harry Connick, Jr. and Mariah Carey. Born and raised in New Jersey, he currently lives in New York with his husband, Lou Mirabal.
Scott Wittman (Co-Lyricist). Tony, Emmy, two-time Grammy, and Olivier Award-winning lyricist, director, writer and conceiver Scott Wittman co-wrote the lyrics for the hit musical Hairspray (Tony, Grammy, Olivier Award winner) with creative partner Marc Shaiman. Wittman also served as an executive producer on the hit film starring John Travolta.
Scott was nominated for a Golden Globe, Grammy and two Emmy Awards for the original songs on NBC’s musical drama “SMASH.” While working on the show, he co-wrote songs for Jennifer Hudson, Uma Thurman, Bernadette Peters and Liza Minnelli. Shaiman and Wittman’s original score for the Marilyn Monroe musical Bombshell was released by Sony Records.
Scott’s Broadway credits include Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me, which he also directed, Catch Me If You Can (Tony nomination for Best Musical), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Broadway and the West End, Some Like It Hot (13 Tony nominations) and SMASH.
Scott has created and directed two Broadway shows, and four sold-out Carnegie Hall concerts for Patti LuPone. He has created and directed solo shows for Christine Ebersole and Nathan Lane, as well as writing for Bette Midler’s 2015 Divine Intervention World Tour. Off-Broadway, he conceived and directed Jukebox Jackie starring Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett and Cole Escola at LaMama, and Rockbottom with Bridget Everett at The Public Theater.
Scott also co-wrote the score to Disney’s Mary Poppins Returns starring Emily Blunt, Lin Manuel Miranda and Meryl Streep, directed by Rob Marshall. The song “The Place Where Lost Things Go” was nominated for an Oscar.
He joined the Marvel Universe with his song co-written with Marc Shaiman for “Rogers: The Musical” in Hawkeye. Also, for “Only Murders in the Building,” he co-wrote “The Pickwick Triplets,” which recently won an Emmy, for Steve Martin.
The notorious and legendary downtown shows he directed are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Rick Elice (Book). Four-time Tony Award and Drama Desk nominee. GRAMMY and Olivier Award winner. On Broadway: Jersey Boys (Best Musical; Tony, GRAMMY and Olivier Awards); The Addams Family; Peter and the Starcatcher (five Tony Awards); The Cher Show (two Tony Awards); Water for Elephants (seven Tony Award nominations); SMASH. In the pipeline: The Princess Bride, Silver Linings Playbook. From 1982-1999, as Creative Director at Serino Coyne Inc, Rick created advertising campaigns for more than 300 Broadway shows, from A Chorus Line to The Lion King. From 1999-2009, Rick served as creative consultant for The Walt Disney Studios. Trustee, The Actors Fund; Charter Member, American Repertory Theatre. BA, Cornell University; MFA, Yale School of Drama. Teaching Fellow, Harvard University. Finding Roger, Rick’s tribute to his late partner, Roger Rees, is published by Kingswell.
Bob Martin (Book) works as a writer, performer and producer in theatre, television and film internationally. He is co-creator of the beloved musicals The Drowsy Chaperone, Elf and The Prom, which have garnered critical acclaim and perennial productions worldwide. Mr. Martin has won a number of awards for his work, including a Tony and a Drama Desk. In 2025, he had three blockbuster musicals on Broadway: Boop!, SMASH, and a return engagement of Elf. His new musical Millions premiered at the Alliance Theatre that same summer. Mr. Martin is also co-creator of the cult-favorite television series “Slings & Arrows.” His latest television project, “American Classic” with Kevin Kline and Laura Linney, debuted on MGM+ in the spring of 2026 to rave reviews.
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