Raza Jaffrey

[A Cousin]

Caught Mr. Jaffrey in SMASH the other night. Truth be told, I watched it just because of him. He plays the supportive civil servant boyfriend of Broadway Baby wannabe Katherine McPhee. (Not *that* kind "civil servant". The character is a Press Secretary in the Mayor's office. ) It has been hinted that he is as dedicated to his profession as she is to her's so I expect conflict in the near future. He was adorable and wonderfully honest in the role. Hope to see much much much more of him. His character is one to which I can very much relate.

As for the programme itself, well, it is a rather cheesy, mostly accurate (in a slightly stereotyped kind of way) depiction of the life of Broadway actors and the building of a Broadway musical. The cast in incredible: Jack Davenport, Debra Messing, Katherine McPhee, Christian Borle, Anjelica Houston and Brian Darcy James are all instilling it with honesty and conviction.

The dialogue writing and the handling of the ensemble aspect of it is good, but I am not sure how long this premise can perpetuate itself. Also, there is a lot on "insider" info that I am not sure will translate to those who don't live in or very near that world. Time will tell.