Smash

Broadway Cameos: Lindsay Mendez (Godspell, Dogfight, Wicked), Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights, Bring it On)

Broadway Mentions: Sam Mendes' Cabaret. Erin Dilly & Sutton Foster in Thoroughly Modern Millie, Playbill, Jonathan Groff, Laura Benanti, Norbert Leo Butz, Alice Ripley; Hit List plays the Barrymore, Ivy & Karen, and later Jimmy, walk through Times Square, passing billboards for, among others, Mary Poppins, Nice Work if You Can Get It, Annie, Avenue Q, Motown: The Musical.

"The Love I Meant to Say" was the only song during the season of Smash that Jeremy Jordan (Jimmy) actually sang live. 

Broadway Cameo: Frank DiLella, theatre reporter for NY1

NYC & Broadway Mentions: The following Broadway actors appear on the Tony boards in Eileen's office: 2010 Tony nominee Kate Baldwin, 2009 Tony nominee Jennifer Damiano, five time Tony winner, 2013 Tony nominee Laura Osnes, 2013 Tony nominees Victoria Clark & Patina Miller, 2010 Tony winner Katie Finneran, and Chita Rivera, most recently of The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Additionally, Tom mentions 2013 Tony nominees The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Pippin. Kyle, in a flashback, mentions Wendy Wasserstein. The exterior of NYC restaurant Bond 45 is shown. Leigh mentions Starbucks.

According to Andy Mientus (Kyle), his character's story was designed to mirror the real life death of Jonathan Larson, who died of an aneurysm the night before the first preview of Rent.  Rent was performed the day after his death, and moved onto Broadway where it won The Pulitzer for Drama and the Tony for Best Musical.  One of the actors who performed in that first preview was Jesse L. Martin (Scott) as Tom Collins.

Broadway & Pop Culture Mentions: Derek mentions producers Scott Rudin and David Stone, Agnes mentions the TKTS booth, as well as Marisa Tomei (last seen on Broadway in 2008's Top Girls). Ivy says she can't wait to watch all the episodes of HBO's Girls she missed while on her publicity blitz.

Broadway Cameos: Kathie Lee Gifford, Montego Glover, Kevin McCollum, Daryl Roth, Manuel Herrera, Carolee Carmello

Broadway & NYC Mentions: City of Angels is mentioned as Tom's possible next project. Julia mentions Ben Brantley, real-life chief theatre critic for The New York Times. Derek, Scott and Eileen all mention the Tonys, the annual award ceremony celebrating the best of the Broadway season. Bombshell's opening night party is held at the Hotel Carter in Times Square.

Broadway Cameos: Edward Hibbert, Donna McKechnie, Rosie O'Donnell, Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman, Raymond J. Lee

Special Guest Cameo: Jaime Cepero (Ellis Boyd) appears in Tom's nightmare, sleeping next to him in his bed.

Broadway Shout-Outs: Ivy's past work includes Hair; Sam's past work includes Take Me Out.

In Scott's office, posters can be seen for Rent and Peter and the Starcatcher. Jesse L. Martin (Scott) originated the role of Collins in Rent and Christian Boyle (Tom) won a Tony Award for originating the role of Black Stache in Peter and the Starcatcher. Not only that, but both musicals originally played off-Broadway, like Hit List is doing on the show, and then moved on to Broadway where they both won multiple awards.

Cameos & NYC Mentions: Michael Riedel pops up during Ivy's birthday party; the exterior of Table 46 is well-known NYC restaurant Joe Allen. Ivy and Tom also mention they spent Ivy's last birthday at Grand Sichuan.

Broadway Shout-Outs: Patti LuPone, known for her Tony-winning roles in Evita and the 2008 revival of Gypsy. It is also revealed that Leigh Conroy (Bernadette Peters) played Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes, and Maria in The Sound of Music, while Ivy played Red in a summer camp production of Into the Woods.

Broadway Shout-Out: Lea Michele of Broadway's Spring Awakening and of course, TV's other musical series Glee.

NYC Mention: Balthazar, a well-known NYC eatery on Spring Street

Broadway Cameo: Seth Rudetsky, most recently of The Ritz

Broadway Cameos: Kathy Fitzgerald of The Producers and 9 to 5: The Musical is seen among the ensemble of Liaisons.

Broadway Cameos: Jon Robin Baitz (acclaimed Broadway playwright), Veanne Cox (most recently of La Cage aux Folles) and Jason Kravits (most recently of The Drowsy Chaperone). Nikki Blonsky, from 2007's Hairspray also pops up as Jerry's assistant.