Theater

‘Smash’ spawn ‘Hit List’ deserves to live on

The hottest new musical in town doesn’t technically exist. But anybody who saw the exhilarating concert version of “Hit List” Sunday night will hope it soon becomes a reality.

Haven’t heard of “Hit List”?

Clearly you weren’t watching “Smash,” NBC’s beleaguered bomb about the New York theater scene. In its two seasons, the series managed to create two fictional musicals: the old-school extravaganza “Bombshell,” about Marilyn Monroe, and the scruffy, pop-rock “Hit List.”

It was impossible to tell what “Hit List” was about, aside from a vehicle for awful dance numbers. But it did boast young, cute stars like former “Idol” songbird Katharine McPhee, Jeremy Jordan (“Newsies”) and Krysta Rodriguez (“First Date”) belting out seriously catchy songs.

Those tunes and the presence of the series’ actors — aside from McPhee, who was McMissing — ensured that the “Hit List” concerts at 54 Below sold out in minutes. Without anybody above the age of 30 noticing, the spawn of “Smash” has turned into a cult musical.

The big shocker was that “Hit List” has a workable book, and it’s not any worse than some of the inanity already on Broadway.

The main theme is the high price of achieving your showbiz dream. Amanda (Carrie Manolakos, stepping in for McPhee) is a rich Upper East Side girl set on becoming a pop star. She steals the material of aspiring songwriter Jesse (Jordan) and reinvents herself as an LA pop ingenue — one big enough to threaten the reigning diva (Rodriguez), “the biggest pop star since Gaga.”

Cue a big rivalry, Jesse’s refusal to play the fame game, and a dramatic wrap-up involving a gunshot. It’s not rocket science, but it works.

So the existence of a plot for “Hit List” was one happy surprise. The other was just how great many of the songs are, and how well they hold together, since they were penned by six different teams or individuals — several of whom took turns at the piano.

Joe Iconis’ “Broadway, Here I Come” is anthemic and wistful all at once, and somehow it fits naturally next to Lucie Silvas’ 1960s-style “Pretender” or the poppy, Katy Perry-ready “Original” (by the “Christmas Story” team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul).

The cast looked and sounded energized by the material, especially Jordan. He’s been touted as the next big Broadway thing for a couple of years, but he’s never been as relaxed, charming and funny as he was here.

“Smash” was an object of ridicule, but it may well have an actual legacy. It’s the best response to the hate-watchers who delighted in its downfall.