Video: The Schmigadoon! Cast Reveal Which Musical Theatre Archetypes They Are

Cinco Paul's loving parody of Golden Age musicals has begun performances at the Nederlander Theatre.

April 07, 2026 By Diep Tran, Jeffrey Vizcaíno

When asked to describe her character, Emma Tate, in Schmigadoon!, Isabelle McCalla is very specific: "She is a little bit Marian [from The Music Man], a little bit Anna from The King and I, and a whole lot of Julie Andrews if she kicked her face."

That's also Schmigadoon! in a nutshell: your favorite Golden Age musical, but with a twist. For show creator Cinco Paul, who is adapting the script for the new Broadway musical from his Apple+ TV show of the same name, Schmigadoon! is a way to pay tribute to his favorite writers.

"I love writing the songs," he tells Playbill. "I don't really get to do that in my regular screenwriting career. Getting to write songs and emulate some of my favorites like Frank Loesser and Rodgers and Hammerstein. To write it and to get these amazing people singing them, it's crazy."

In the video above, the cast tell Playbill's Jeffrey Vizcaíno which musical theatre archetypes are the inspiration behind their characters.

And they assure us that the musical isn't just for fans of the television show. Just take it from Brad Oscar, who actually auditioned for the Schmigadoon! show, didn't get it, and is now playing the Mayor in the stage version: "Someone has written something that not only pays tribute to but has such heart and is so smart."