Broadway is getting ready to welcome a new stage version of Apple TV's musical comedy series Schmigadoon!, and any theatre fan should get excited. The series, which debuted its first season in 2021, is truly a love letter to the golden age of Broadway. From Oklahoma! to The Music Man, Carousel, and (as you may be able to surmise from the title) Brigadoon, Schmigadoon! was made to celebrate the classic stage and film musicals so many of us adore.
The story follows two "regular" modern-day people (played by Broadway favorites Alex Brightman and Sara Chase). While at a couple's therapy retreat, the two suddenly find themselves in a mystical town populated by uptight music teachers, dangerous carnival barkers, singing-and-dancing townspeople, and other musical archetypes. The rest of the show follows our heroes as they learn to traverse this musical theatre landscape, in hopes of going home.
And, as is often the way in these tales, Schmigadoon! is not just a celebration of golden age musical theatre; it's also not afraid to (lovingly) poke fun at it. So, even if you aren't especially a fan of classic musicals, you will love Schmigadoon!
Below are five reasons this upcoming Broadway musical may be your best pick for your next fun night out in NYC.
1. You love musicals
Do you love the songs in Carousel, but cringe when Julie seems so wistful about how men can hit ya real hard, and it won't hurt at all? Is The Music Man one of your favorite musicals, even though Harold Hill is definitely harassing Marian the librarian after she's clearly and repeatedly rejected his advances? Do you love the musicals of Oscar Hammerstein II, but understandably find it bizarre that his characters straight-faced say words like "won'drin'" or "womern"? Then Schmigadoon! is for you.
This musical is for the Broadway fan, especially those filled with hot takes about the most beloved titles in our canon. You will understand all of the show's references, and you will love the way that it recreates the world of mid-century Broadway—even as it spotlights some tropes that are hilariously out-of-date. Seeing Schmigadoon!, you will laugh at the absurdity of classic musicals while also just enjoying this new musical as a good night out.
2. You don't love musicals.
Look—we know you exist. It's okay. This is a safe space. Musicals aren't for everyone! And you're well-represented in Schmigadoon! Because, spoiler alert, one half of the couple that gets trapped in the mystical Broadway land of Schmigadoon is, well, a musical theatre hater. The kind of person who thinks people bursting into song is unrealistic. Since the show is just as focused on skewering classic musicals as it is on celebrating them, said haters will find much to laugh at.
At the same time, if you're the type of person who wants to understand why people love musicals, Schmigadoon! makes a beautiful case for that. It is a love letter to the art form, after all. So the main takeaway is: The show is for musical lovers, and those who think musicals are cringe. Schmigadoon! is here to bridge the divide.
3. You loved Schmigadoon! on TV
It goes without saying that if you loved Schmigadoon! on Apple TV, then obviously the stage show is for you. As creator Cinco Paul previously told Playbill, this stage version (which had a world premiere run at the Kennedy Center earlier this year) is like binge-watching the series' first season. Actually, it's like binge watching a Director's Cut of the first season, because it re-instates songs that were cut from the streaming series, and adds some other material that's wholly new. Paul has done all that that while keeping the series' humor and charm. So, if you're the kind of person who was sad when Schmigadoon! was cancelled by Apple, you will want to see Schmigadoon! on stage.
4. You were in a high school musical.
Whether you love them or hate them, golden age musicals are part of the American cultural landscape. They're a popular choice for the American high school musical, practically a rite-of-passage for many a teenager. Schmigadoon! is the perfect musical for this group, either current students or anyone who has ever been part of the beautiful chaos that is a high school musical. The show is here to celebrate not only the musicals themselves, but also the experience of performing in them. Schmigadoon! is there to help you remember how much you loved doing "There is Nothing Like a Dame" in South Pacific, as much as it is to help you remember how bizarre it was to not be able to explicitly establish that Max Detweiler in The Sound of Music is for sure homosexual (yes, he never talks about or shows it publicly—there were Nazis afoot, for crying out loud!).
Being one in an ensemble of 500 in a high school production of Fiddler on the Roof is a uniquely fun and absurd memory for many, and Schmigadoon! is very much here for the theatre kid in all of us—of every age.
5. You want a good laugh
We've been talking nonstop about musicals and theatre kids, but it's also important to remember that Schmigadoon! is, more than anything else, really funny. If you need a smart comedy, Schmigadoon! will absolutely make you laugh. Yes, there are "in" jokes you might understand more deeply if you're a Broadway fan, but that's hardly a prerequisite to enjoy the absurd premise and hilarity of Schmigadoon! Though it finds the specificity of its humor in the world of Broadway, Schmigadoon! is essentially your classic fish-out-of-water story in the grand tradition of classics like Sister Act, Mrs. Doubtfire, and countless other comedies. And not for nothing, creator Cinco Paul is something of a screen comedy legend, having been part of the writing team on Despicable Me and Minions films, The Secret Life of Pets, and the recent screen versions of Dr. Seuss's Horton Hears a Who and The Lorax.
If you like to laugh, get yourself a ticket to Schmigadoon!
