Peters will play Broadway star Leigh Conroy, who is the mother of Megan Hilty's character Ivy.
The episode is described as such, according to www.ksitetv.com: "Everything comes to a head as Eileen (Anjelica Huston), Derek (Jack Davenport) and the team present “Marilyn The Musical” to would-be investors. Ivy (Megan Hilty) is under pressure to perform, while her mother, Broadway star Leigh Conroy (special guest Bernadette Peters), undermines her at every turn. Karen (Katharine McPhee) must decide between the workshop and a meeting with a big-time music producer. Julia (Debra Messing) and Michael (guest star Will Chase) must face up to the consequences of their actions."
Prior to Follies, Bernadette Peters was last on Broadway in the revival of A Little Night Music. She received a 2003 Tony Award nomination for her performance as Rose in the Sam Mendes-directed revival of Gypsy. Peters won her two Tonys for her performances in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Song & Dance and Irving Berlin's Annie Get Your Gun, and she has also starred on Broadway in Mack & Mabel, On the Town, Sunday in the Park with George, The Goodbye Girl and the original production of Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods.
Peters' newest live recording, "Sondheim, Etc., Etc.—Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall (The Rest of It)," is available on the Angel Records label. Masterworks Broadway has also released a "Legends of Broadway" CD celebrating her theatrical career. Peters' screen credits are numerous, and she also recently celebrated the launch of her second children's book, "Stella Is a Star," for Blue Apple Books. "Smash" airs Monday nights at 10 PM ET on NBC; check local listings.
