Remembering Craig Zadan’s most important productions

It’s been cut and printed, but nobody moved on from the beloved, ballyhooed NBC series that admirably strove to bring musical theater to the masses, weekly, in primetime. Another theatrical collaboration between Zadan, Meron, and NBC chief Bob Greenblatt, Smash followed the behind-the-scenes drama of a Broadway musical, peppered with juicy stage cameos, Debra Messing in scarves, and an insanely catchy score of original music (from several shows-within-the-show, to boot). Critics and fans still can’t get over some of the over-the-top melodrama, but though Smash may be gone from NBC, a visit to any cabaret, cast party, Musical Monday bar night, or Twitter-of-a-theater-geek is proof enough that Smash lives on in the musical theater lexicon — and a legacy is far better than a recoupment.