In this Broadway adaptation of the show “Smash”, Krysta Rodriguez is the sole carryover from the original series. She joined the cast during the second season in 2013, following her roles in Broadway productions like “Spring Awakening” and “The Addams Family”. On the series, she played Ana Vargas, Karen’s roommate and fellow “Hit List” co-star. The show was under intense scrutiny, making for a challenging experience. As Rodriguez puts it, “People were analyzing, criticizing, sometimes even bullying the show, and we had to be in the thick of it.” It wasn’t until after the show ended that she truly appreciated its devoted fanbase, which has endured ever since — even justifying a Broadway adaptation 12 years later. In this new version of “Smash”, Rodriguez transitions from “Hit List” to the “Bombshell” team. Notably, “Hit List” — a grittier counterpart to the more glamorous “Bombshell” — is absent in the stage show. Instead, Rodriguez portrays Tracy, one of “Bombshell’s” songwriters. This role is a new interpretation compared to the one Debra Messing played on the series, without the storylines of the botched adoption or affair with an actor, but there is one consistent detail: “I had to have a scarf!
