By Eyal Solomon, Theater Pizzazz publisher and editor…
Schmigadoon! will hilariously remind you just how ridiculous and just how wonderful those golden-age musicals really were.
Based on the Apple TV+ series, though happily easy to enjoy without homework, Schmigadoon follows Melissa and Josh, whose relationship has drifted into that zone where eye contact is replaced by phone screens and romance is scheduled between errands. During a hike they wander into the magical town of Schmigadoon, where life runs on the rules of a Golden Age musical. People burst into song, flirt through choreography, and solve problems with harmonies. The only way out, naturally, is true love.
The town of Schmigadoon, we soon discover, is stitched together from the sunny Americana of The Music Man, Brigadoon (of course), and small-town Oklahoma!. There’s a Carousel-type carnival charmer, and both an obnoxious and an endearing character from The Sound of Music. The costumes and pageantry echo Guys and Dolls and South Pacific. These homages poke fun at corny sincerity, gender roles, thunderous declarations of love, suspiciously cheerful farmers, and men who can tap dance while emotionally unavailable. Yet none of it feels mean. This is satire written by people who clearly adore the genre and know every inch of its strange little heart.
The score of Schmigadoon! is one of the production’s smartest pleasures, creating brand-new songs that feel lovingly borrowed from Broadway history. Rather than copying classics outright, the music captures the style, structure, and spirit of beloved Golden Age composers so accurately that many numbers sound instantly familiar. You may feel as if you know them already, even on first listen. “Tribulation,” a comic patter number, races with the same breathless energy and rhythmic wordplay that made “Ya Got Trouble” from The Music Man iconic. “Baby Talk” affectionately mirrors the bright instructional bounce of “Do-Re-Mi” from The Sound of Music, while gleefully pushing the innocence into more adult territory.
Visually, the production is a feast. The sets look like storybooks that decided to become architecture. Painted backdrops, candy-colored design, and costumes so bright you want to reach out to the saturation knob. And then there is the dancing. Athletic, funny, precise, and so relentlessly energetic. Every number bursts with life. And not once is the dance justified or needed. But more, please.
The cast throws itself into Schmigadoon! with the kind of commitment that makes musical comedy sing. Sara Chase brings warmth, wit, and real heart to Melissa, grounding the fantasy with a performance that is both funny and emotionally sincere. Alex Brightman, playing the skeptical Josh, is a sharp comic presence whose deadpan frustration provides a perfect contrast to the chaos around him. Together they make the central relationship worth caring about beneath all the spectacle.
Around them, the supporting players feast on their roles. Ana Gasteyer is a standout comic force, delivering uptight, scene-stealing menace. Max Clayton brings swagger, charm, and athletic confidence as the irresistible carnival rogue, while McKenzie Kurtz is a comic delight as the overenthusiastic farmgirl chasing romance at full speed. Isabelle McCalla offers sweetness and grace, and Ivan Hernandez supplies commanding presence with a deliciously stern edge.
Brad Oscar is wonderfully funny as the mayor, balancing bluster with surprising tenderness, while Ann Harada adds perfectly judged humor. Maulik Pancholy contributes warmth and subtle charm. Just as impressive is the ensemble, who sing, dance, and act with tireless energy.
You leave the theater feeling lighter, happier, and mildly concerned that ordinary civilians should not have to re-enter a world where strangers refuse to communicate through song. If every escape from reality were this clever and this cheerful, we would all be wandering into enchanted towns on purpose.
Bottom line: see it, even if you missed the TV show. Schmigadoon is currently playing at the Nederlander Theatre, 208 W 41st St, New York, NY 10036, through September 6, 2026. Visit https://schmigadoonbroadway.com/ for more information.
Photos By Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
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