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Titaníque is much outlandish (and funnier), Something Rotten! was sharper (and funnier) and Smash, well, Smash was nary of those. Taking a comfortable, crowd-satisfying spot location successful nan mediate of caller (or recentish) shape musicals that mock shape musicals (and Titaníque qualifies for its ad-lib Just In Time or Two Strangers excursions), Schmigadoon!, based connected nan first play of nan Apple Original series, is simply a bright, pleasant diversion from immoderate existent world villainy is bedeviling you astatine nan moment.
Though successful choosing its mass-appeal philharmonic theatre punchlines Schmigadoon! typically demands small much knowledge than things we mightiness person learned connected Glee aliases seen successful nan overseas Simpsons episode, nan Cinco Paul philharmonic has capable “if you cognize you know” moments to tickle nan theatre die-hards. If you cognize nan destiny of immoderate tasteful carny hunk who tin bust a ballet move astatine a moment’s notice, Schmigadoon! will charm.
If you’ve not seen nan 2021-2023 series, nan premise is this: A young man and woman, some doctors (Alex Brightman and Sarah Chase), meet tiny adjacent nan infirmary vending machine, wed and wrong a fewer years are bickering and giving much attraction to their smart phones than to 1 different (this is each conveyed, via clip jumps, connected shape successful conscionable minutes, cleverly).
During a locomotion done nan woods astatine a matrimony retreat, Josh and Melissa transverse a fairy-tale-looking span and find themselves successful a onshore of nostalgically painted flats suggesting an over-the-rainbow onshore of Music Man Americana, Brigadoon enchantment and nan carnival enticements of Carousel. Much to nan consternation of nan musical-hating Josh (he moreover loathes Singin’ In The Rain, contempt Melissa’s champion case-making) nan mates person recovered themselves smack-dab successful nan mediate of conscionable specified a wonderland.
In short bid Josh, Melissa and nan assemblage meet quaintly attired townsfolk who by measurement of preamble break into nan section taxable opus “Schmigadoon!,” sounding conscionable this broadside of litigation for illustration nan title opus from Oklahoma. A tiny small boy pinch a lisp isn’t named Winthrop but he mightiness arsenic good be. A good-looking ne’er-do-well carnival worker named Danny Bailey sets astir wooing Melissa successful his champion Billy Bigelow fashion, and section gal Betsy (McKenzie Kurtz), an Ado Annie by measurement of Dogpatch, has her eyes connected Josh. If thing else, she’ll triumph him complete pinch her delicious maize puddin’ (and yes, Schmigadoon! is afloat alert of immoderate and each double entendres – azygous ones excessively for that matter).
Just arsenic nan various townsfolk characters are intelligibly modeled connected those that trod nan philharmonic boards backmost successful Broadway‘s Golden Age, truthful excessively does nan people beryllium its debts. Composer Paul has concocted a pastiche of songs everlastingly connected nan separator of our memories if not our tongues. Some of nan show’s philharmonic numbers are person to their root worldly than others – Danny’s “You Done Tamed Me” references Billy Bigelow’s “Soliloquy” from Carousel, “Tribulation” is simply a tongue-twister patter opus modeled connected “You Got Trouble” from The Music Man (performed successful Schmigadoon! by a segment stealing Ana Gasteyer arsenic nan villainous, book-burning pastor’s wife), and, possibly pinch nan slightest magnitude of disguise, “Baby Talk” uses Sound of Music‘s childlike “Do-Re-Mi” for an definitive biology instruction connected wherever babies travel from.
If you watched nan TV series, you’ll admit immoderate of these moments – on pinch others specified arsenic nan fan-favorite ceremony of “Corn Puddin!” – but what you mightiness miss is nan inherent strangeness of seeing these imagination worlds displayed wrong nan hyper-real confines of a tv screen. On stage, Josh and Melissa, our wanderers from nan onshore of reality, are subsumed into an existent philharmonic alternatively than a vaguely Truman Show-style refraction. Something’s mislaid successful nan translation, but pinch dazzling costumes, hyper-energetic singing and dancing and joyful tone filling nan Nederlander, quibbles extremity up banished beyond nan flats.
The cast, nether Christopher Gattelli’s spirit-matching guidance and choreography, look to beryllium having nan clip of their lives, and why not? Gasteyer’s comic chops person diminished not an iota since her long-ago SNL days, and her uptight Elmira Gulch prickliness is arsenic flawless arsenic her “Trouble successful River City,” I mean, “Tribulation successful Schmigadoon” delivery. If Cinco Paul ever gets astir to a shape sequel advancing his Broadway timeline, Gasteyer needs “Last Midnight” for illustration Mandy Patinkin needed to decorativeness that damn hat.
All person their moments: Chase, Harada, Ivan Hernandez (as nan municipality Doc pinch each nan bedside mode of Captain Von Trapp), Brad Oscar arsenic closeted Mayor Menlove whose penchant for outfits arsenic fanciful arsenic immoderate point from Munchkinland is matched only by his tender longing for that awkward municipality reverend (Maulik Pancholy).
Only nan usually high-spirited Alex Brightman seems lacking successful intent here. Playing nan no-nonsense musical-hating subject feline leaves nan expansive prima of Beetlejuice, School of Rock and Spamalot pinch excessively fewer enjoyments to share, excessively fewer moments of comic shape business, and surely not capable songs to belt. Brightman’s Josh, arsenic often arsenic not, is simply near to grouse thing on nan lines of “kill maine now” erstwhile each astir him are plunging headfirst into nan joyous, endorphin-exploding pleasures of song, creation and facial expressions contorted pinch philharmonic theatre bliss. Poor guy. Someone book him connected nan Titaníque, stat.
Title: Schmigadoon!
Venue: Broadway’s Nederlander Theatre
Director: Christopher Gattelli
Book & Music: Cinco Paul (based connected nan Apple Original bid co-created by Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio)
Cast: Alex Brightman, Sara Chase, Ana Gasteyer, Ann Harada, Brad Oscar, Isabelle McCalla, Ivan Hernandez, Maulik Pancholy, Max Clayton, McKenzie Kurtz, Ayaan Diop
Running time: 2 hrs 30 min (including intermission)
