半岛体育

In the ever-glittering world of Broadway, few performers can captivate audiences with an electric combination of raw talent, unparalleled stage presence, and an infectious love for the craft. Enter Tony nominee Robyn Hurder, a name synonymous with unforgettable high kicks and jaw-dropping backbends, who is preparing to return to Broadway in the largest role she鈥檚 ever taken on. Next month, many theatre fans鈥� prayers will be answered when the musical Smash comes to the Imperial Theatre, with previews beginning March 11 and opening night April 10. 

Inspired by the cult favorite NBC series, the new dramedy musical follows the behind-the-scenes inner workings of a fictional Marilyn Monroe musical called Bombshell. And who will be portraying not only one of America鈥檚 most famous sex symbols but also the world-renowned Broadway star bringing Marilyn to life? Let Hurder be your star. 

As Hurder sits in the plush booth at So & So's Neighborhood Piano Bar, she jokes how this present moment is quite a full circle for her. "This used to be the Howard Johnson's back in the '90s," she recalls chuckling. "This is where my family used to stay when we came to visit. And I remember waking up in the morning and facing Eighth Avenue and looking out at all the people. I was, like, 12, and I thought, 'Wow, all these people just live here. And I want to live here so bad.'" 

But there was one specific memory at the hotel (recently remodeled and renamed Romer Hell's Kitchen) that came to mind for Hurder. "It was my very, very first Broadway audition. I was 17 years old, and I was doing A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Portland Players. I saw an audition in Backstage.鈥� As she looked through the well-known actors' trade publication, Hurder spotted something that caught her young, ambitious eyes. 鈥淚 saw that in three days, there was an open call for Cats [on Broadway], and I was like, 鈥極h my god, I have to! It's my chance to be a cat.鈥�" 

Hurder rushed to tell her parents. They supportively agreed. The next day, after work, her father drove them overnight from Maine to New York City. 鈥淭he audition was at the Longacre Theatre at 10 AM. They walked me over, and I was all nervous. I was number three to sign up.鈥� Hurder laughingly recalls that after she signed in, her parents turned to her and said, 鈥漁kay, have fun!鈥� We're gonna go have breakfast.鈥� They thought I was gonna be gone forever.鈥� 

But things did not go as planned. 

鈥淚 walk on stage. I'm number three, they're typing out. They tell everyone to say your name and do a double pirouette. I said 'Robyn Hurder,' and did a subpar double pirouette. I was so nervous.鈥� What happened next, many performers know all too well. 鈥淚 was cut immediately. It was like 10:02 and I was cut.鈥� Hurder says she remembers feeling every step of the long walk from the theatre 48th Street to the hotel at 52nd Street. 鈥淚 remember walking from the Longacre to this hotel, bawling my eyes out, and having to sit in the lobby because I didn't have a key to the hotel room.鈥� 

Hurder jokes that it was during a time when cell phones didn鈥檛 exist and there was no way to contact her parents. 鈥淚 was just waiting for them, sobbing in the lobby for what felt like hours. They eventually walked in and were like, 鈥榊ou're already done?!鈥� 

Time is quite the healer. A memory that once brought so much sorrow to a younger Hurder is now a memory she recounts lovingly, as she prepares to embark on her eighth Broadway show. 鈥淚 was just feeling so bad about myself鈥ut now? Well, today I am starring in my dream Broadway show, playing Marilyn Monroe, and doing a photoshoot and interview for 半岛体育. I was 17 years old in that hotel lobby,鈥� she says pointing gracefully to that exact location. 鈥淎nd now here I am.鈥� 

For Hurder, the role of Ivy Lynn/Marilyn Monroe in Smash represents not just the pinnacle of her professional journey; It鈥檚 a testament to decades of relentless dedication.

From her early days growing up in Maine, Hurder says she was always a force of nature. 鈥淢y mom put me in dance class because I had so much energy and was bouncing around the house,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淪he said, 鈥楢ll this girl does is go nuts around the house. She just needs something to organize it.鈥欌�� That early boundless enthusiasm laid the foundation for what would become a lifelong love of performing. Even now, she credits her unstoppable energy and zest for life as the driving forces behind her performances. 鈥淲hen I鈥檓 on stage, there鈥檚 no other option than being completely full out and living to the most,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 how we should live every single day.鈥�

It鈥檚 not just her go-getter energy that has made Hurder a standout performer鈥攊t鈥檚 her unique ability to infuse every role with what she calls her 鈥淩obyn smack.鈥� From the snarled face as she leaped and dove into the arms of Santiago during Moulin Rouge: The Musical鈥檚 鈥淏ackstage Romance鈥� to the way she uniquely strutted across the stage in A Beautiful Noise, it鈥檚 Hurder鈥檚 natural zeal that has made her such a standout performer on Broadway. 

鈥淚 always say, 鈥楯ust give it to me, and I鈥檒l put my smack on it,鈥欌�� she explains. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a mix of love, energy, and stage presence鈥攕omething that can鈥檛 be taught. My mom always said it鈥檚 just part of my soul.鈥�

Before stepping into the Broadway spotlight, Hurder honed her craft through rigorous ballet training. 鈥淔rom ages 11 to 18, I was in my ballet company,鈥� she recounts. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 love ballet, but I knew I needed it to be the dancer I wanted to be. To this day, I can tell when someone hasn鈥檛 had ballet training鈥攊t鈥檚 in the way they walk across the stage.鈥� Ballet provided not just technical skills to Hurder, but it also gave her a deep respect for discipline and authority, lessons she carries with her to this day.

At the same time, Hurder's journey to Broadway was far from linear. After dabbling in community theatre and attending college for a brief period, Hurder realized she was 鈥渁 doer鈥� and decided to drop out of school and dive headfirst into the audition circuit. Her first professional job was on a cruise ship, and from there, her career steadily gained momentum. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been just given something and told, 鈥楬ere鈥檚 your role,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e worked my way up, step by step, show by show, over 20 years.鈥�

Hurder鈥檚 breakthrough moment came when she played Cassie in A Chorus Line at New York City Center 2018. 鈥淭hat was a moment,鈥� she reflects. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 hide in that role. It鈥檚 so exposing. That was the first time I felt like I really proved myself in the most authentic, real way.鈥� The experience was transformative, with Hurder's rendition of "The Music and the Mirror" solidifying her place as one of Broadway鈥檚 most dynamic performers.

Now, as she prepares to take on the dual challenge of playing both Ivy Lynn and Marilyn Monroe in the highly anticipated stage adaptation of Smash, Hurder is embracing the duality of the roles with her signature mix of determination and vulnerability. 

鈥淚t actually makes me feel better when I say, 鈥業鈥檓 Robyn, playing Ivy, playing Marilyn,鈥欌�� she shares. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not trying to do an impression of Marilyn Monroe鈥攜ou鈥檙e playing an actress who鈥檚 playing Marilyn. That makes it a lot of fun and gives you leeway.鈥� And that actress, while the character鈥檚 name might be the same as the TV character played by Megan Hilty (currently in Death Becomes Her), the stage Ivy Lynn is quite different. For one, she's no longer an ensemble member yearning for a lead role: 鈥淪he is the equivalent of Hugh Jackman or Sutton Foster. She is the Broadway of Broadway. She's everybody put together Patti LuPone and Audra, all of those,鈥� Hurder explains. 鈥淚 think there was one of the [Smash drafts] that they say, 鈥榃e've been waiting seven years to get her.鈥� That's how big she is.鈥�

Hurder admits that the grandness of Ivy/Marilyn is intimidating; it's the largest role she鈥檚 taken on so far in her career. 鈥淚'm starting to have a panic attack as I talk about playing this person. She is the most respected; everyone's dying to work with her.鈥� But no matter the initial fear, the role is a dream come true for Hurder, allowing her to showcase the full spectrum of her talents. 鈥淚 get to be crazy, sad, real, nasty, a clown, and sexy. I get to sing and dance at the same time, which terrifies me. But I鈥檓 determined to stay strong and consistent,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a yummy little sandbox for anyone who loves to perform.鈥�

As she eagerly awaits her return into the spotlight in March, Hurder says that Smash is more than just a show鈥攊t鈥檚 the culmination of years of perseverance, passion, and an unyielding belief that the long journey will eventually pay off. Though Hurder admits she is not quite comfortable calling herself a 鈥渟tar,鈥� she knows that the word has been 鈥渢ossed around.鈥� 鈥淚 hope that people, if they do put me in that place, know where it came from,鈥� she says. 鈥淣othing has been handed to me. I鈥檝e worked so hard, and I鈥檓 proud of myself. What I鈥檓 about to do isn鈥檛 easy, but I鈥檓 ready for the challenge.鈥�

In short: This is Robyn Hurder鈥檚 moment, and she鈥檚 ready to seize it with everything she鈥檚 got鈥攕mack and all.

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Photos: Robyn Hurder Photographed at So & So's Neighborhood Piano Bar

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