It's not a surprise to say Alex Brightman is a musical expert. But now in Schmigadoon!, currently running at the Kennedy Center, he is playing someone who "abhors musicals, hates them, couldn't like them less" and who finds himself trapped inside of a Golden Age Musical.
The stage adaptation of the Apple TV+ series, which follows a couple who go on a trip to rekindle their relationship and then become trapped in a Golden Age musical, runs through February 9. See the cast and creative team discuss the much-anticipated new musical in the video above.
Creator Cinco Paul told Playbill that he wrote the stage adaptation of his series for high schoolers to do, and Brightman confirms that a homemade aesthetic is a key part of this new version: "It's really going to look like a high-budget community theatre production done badly in the best way."
The cast for the television series included Oscar winner Ariana DeBose and Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth, Alan Cumming, and Aaron Tveit. But for the stage version, Paul and director/choreographer Christopher Gattelli have assembled a cast (mostly) new to Schmigadoon and have written new songs. That allows the actors to not have to worry about recreating what was already done on the screen.
Says McKenzie Kurtz, who plays the (not-so-innocent) ingenue Betsy, "I personally haven't watched it in full just because I wanted to come into it with a bit of fresh eyes."
But there is one cast member in Schmigadoon! on stage who was in the television series: Avenue Q alum Ann Harada, who is excited to reprise her role as Mayor's Wife Florence Menlove. "I get to do this play in this world that I love so much but bring it onstage and do it live in front of people, which is in my mind how it was always meant to be," she says.
The cast of Schmigadoon! also includes Sara Chase as Melissa Gimble, Kevin Del Aguila as Reverend Layton, Isabelle McCalla as Emma Tate, Javier Muñoz as Doc Lopez, Brad Oscar as Mayor Menlove, Emily Skinne as Mildred Layton, and Ryan Vasquez as Danny Bailey.
The company includes Ayaan Diop as Carson Tate, Phillip Attmore as Freddy, Brandon Block as Buford Riggs, Holly Ann Butler as Helen Pritt, Max Clayton as Larry the Fireman, Kimberly Immanuel as Zaneeta, Eloise Kropp as Nancy, Jess LeProtto as Pete, Nathan Lucrezio as Farmer McDonough, Lauralyn McClelland as Ruth O’Reilly, Shina Ann Morris as Norma Nelson, Angel Reda as the Countess Gabrielle Von Blerkom, and Richard Riaz Yoder as Harvey the Innkeeper. Casting is by The Telsey Office.
The Kennedy Center production also features scenic design by Scott Pask, lighting design by Jen Schriever, costume design by Linda Cho, wig design by Tom Watson, and sound design by Haley Parcher. Matt Lacey is the production stage manager. David Chase is serving as music supervisor, with orchestrations by Doug Besterman and Mike Morris and music direction by Steven Malone.
Schmigadoon! premiered on Apple TV+ in 2021, with a second season in 2023 that sent its characters to Schmicago, complete with parodies of '70s musicals like Pippin, Godspell, and Sweeney Todd. Read Playbill's exhaustive recaps of all first and second season episodes for a deep dive into the series' many musical theatre Easter eggs, references, and parodies.
Tickets are available at Kennedy-Center.org.