Schmigadoon! (musical)

The original television series was created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio, with all songs written by Paul. It premiered on July 16, 2021, starring an ensemble cast led by Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key as Melissa and Josh. Blending satire and homage, Schmigadoon! alluded to various Golden Age musicals of the 1940s and '50s in a pastiche of their plots and song styles. The title, specifically, is a send up of the 1947 musical Brigadoon, which similarly follows travelers getting trapped inside a magical town. Choreography was by Christopher Gattelli. The series was renewed for a second season focusing on the darker, edgier themes of 1960s and '70s musicals. It was not renewed again, though Paul has since said that he has written a complete third season, including new original songs. The musical adapts the first season of the TV series. Paul revealed that the musical not only compresses the six episodes of season one into a single story and simplifies the setting, but it restores some items that were cut from TV production; he also hopes to adapt all three seasons for the stage. ==Productions==

Washington, D.C. (2025) The musical premiered at the Eisenhower Theater at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as part of the Broadway Center Stage series from January 31 until February 9, 2025. The production was directed and choreographed by Gattelli. Reprising their workshop roles were Brightman as Josh, Chase as Melissa, Del Aguila as Reverend Layton and Oscar as Mayor Menlove. Ann Harada reprised her role from the original series as Florence Menlove. New cast members included McKenzie Kurtz as Betsy, Isabelle McCalla as Emma, Javier Muñoz as Doc Lopez, Angel Reda as the Countess, Emily Skinner as Mildred, Ryan Vasquez as Danny, and Ayaan Diop as Carson. The production featured orchestrations by Doug Besterman (who served as an executive music producer and orchestrator for the television series) and designs by Scott Pask (scenery), Linda Cho (costumes), Jen Schriever (lighting), Haley Parcher (sound) and Tom Watson (hair and makeup). Broadway (2026) The production opened on Broadway on April 20, 2026, having begun previews on April 4, at the Nederlander Theatre. It is again directed and choreographed by Gatelli. Brightman, Chase, Oscar, Harada, McCalla, Kurtz, and Diop all reprise their Washington roles, Pask, Cho, and Watson returned to design scenery, costumes, and hair and makeup, respectively, with Donald Holder designing lighting and Walter Trarbach designing sound. Producers include Lorne Michaels, who also served as a producer on the original series. ==Casts==

;Act I • "Schmigadoon!" – Ensemble, Mayor Menlove, and Mildred Layton • "You Can't Tame Me" – Danny • "Corn Puddin' " – Melissa and Ensemble • "Leprechaun Song" – Leprechaun • "Lovers' Spat" – Company and Mildred • "Somewhere Love Is Waiting for You" – Mayor Menlove • "The Picnic Basket Auction" – Company† • "Enjoy the Ride" – Melissa, Danny and Betsy • "Not That Kinda Gal" – Betsy and Josh‡ • "You Done Tamed Me" – Danny • "I'm Engaged" – Betsy and Women† • "What's the Matter with Men?" – Mrs. Menlove and Melissa‡ • "Cross That Bridge" – Company • "Act I Finale" – Company† ;Act II • "With All of Your Heart" – Emma and Schoolchildren • "Baby Talk" – Melissa, Nancy, and Freddy‡ • "I Thought I Was the Only One" – Mayor Menlove and Reverend Layton† • "When the Night is Darkest" – Company‡ • "Suddenly" – Doc Lopez and Emma • "Tribulation" – Mildred and Company • "Melissa's Epiphany" – Melissa† • "Election Day" – Company† • "You Make Me Wanna Sing" – Josh and Melissa • "How We Change/Finale" – Company Key ==Reception==

Reviewing the Kennedy Center production, Rhoda Feng of Vulture wrote: "Gattelli moves things along at a brisk pace." She praised the book, music, and lyrics as "a rhapsodic remix of – and tribute to – Broadway classics" and enjoyed the new duet "I Thought I Was the Only One". She thought, however, that the show's "handling of race strikes a discordant note" by eliminating some of the sensitive allusions to race seen in the TV series, noting: "Casting a white actor as Josh diminishes the opportunities for the show to probe these problems. Lines from the TV series about 'color-blind casting' and 'miscegenation' have vanished". She found Josh's character diminished and simplified by providing less of his backstory. Nevertheless, she praised both Brightman and Chase, as well as the "bell-voiced" McCalla, Harada, set and lighting, concluding that "Schmigadoon! offers a heady dose of Golden Age escapism". Maybe too heady at times." The Broadway production received mostly positive reviews. Review aggregator Did They Like It? listed 11 positive reviews, 4 mixed reviews, and one negative review. Elisabeth Vincentelli of The New York Times gave it a "Critic's Pick", calling it a "blast" and said, "You don’t need to have memorized the Rodgers and Hammerstein songbook to have a good time, but knowledge of some musical-theater fundamentals adds an extra layer – or 10 – to the enjoyment." By contrast, Johnny Oleksinski of The New York Post gave the show two stars out of four, calling it a "tired parody" and saying, "Melissa and Josh are ready to leave Schmigadoon. And so are we." ==Awards and nominations==

Broadway production ==See also==