Show Synopsis:
Teenage girls all over California are getting ready for the finals of the Young American Miss California pageant. Roommates Robin and Doria meet at orientation, run by the strung-out Brenda Dicarlo Freelander, a former Young American Miss who longs to relive her glory days. Doria tells Robin about her passion for the glamour pageants in a family that does not notice her at all, and the next day the girls start rehearsing for the pageant and speaking to local social clubs. Robin has no experience in pageants and feels out of place, while another contestant, Shawn, is angry that Mexican-American contestant Maria is getting more attention that she is. During private interviews, Robin panics because she does not want to talk about her deceased father for ?sympathy points.? During the preliminary competition, Robin wins the Scholastic Achievement category, qualifying her for the final night of the competition. Doria begins to teach her about pageantry and Shawn catches teenage boys taking photos of her in the shower and concocts a plan to sabotage Maria?s place in the competition. At the finals, Robin?s parasol breaks in the opening number, but she learns to work with it and make the judges notice her. During a montage of photos of the girls, a picture of Maria in the shower (taken by the teenage boys) appears instead of her nice photograph. Maria leaves the competition, and Brenda makes an impassioned speech to the judges that they should still pick a winner, because the values of the Young American Miss Competition still matter. During the final remarks portion, Robin reveals that her father is dead, but another girl is crowned Young American Miss, with Doria as first runner-up. Doria is thrilled to finally be noticed. Doria asks Robin to enter the Miss Sunbelt Pageant with her, but Robin has decided that she wants no part in future pageants. Robin leaves with her mother, and Doria once again dreams of happiness and Disneyland.

Character:
Doria Hudson, a pretty and outspoken seventeen-year-old girl with a passion for beauty pageants; Texas native who recently moved to California; kindhearted but competitive and blunt.

Song Context:
Doria?s deepest desire is to go to Disneyland, because everything has looked so beautiful and peaceful there on the television when pageant winners went there, which would be a far cry from her family?s life. Robin, who has been there, tells her how fake and creepy everything was, and then goes to sleep, leaving Doria to her memories and thoughts about Disneyland.

Fun Facts:
1) This musical was based on the movie of the 1975 same name, but updated for the 1980s. 
2) The role of Doria Hudson was originally played by Jodi Benson. The fact that she performed this show-stopping song in the musical is ironic because she is now best known for voicing the role of Ariel in the popular Disney animated film The Little Mermaid. 
3) Composer Marvin Hamlisch was interested in being involved with Smile because he ?was more determined than ever to write about our American values, and what better subject than beauty pageants. Now we all know that these pageants are supposed to honor the ?best? values in American life. Yet they are often venomous little events that bring friendly competition to the heights of hysteria.? Similarly, this song highlights the fake glitz surrounding the Disney fantasy, which Robin calls ?kinda creepy."