As we’re nearing the end of the 2025-2026 Broadway season, we’re starting to see the final batch of shows eligible for the Tony Awards this summer. Of these new shows, it has been announced that the Apple TV show Shmigadoon! is getting the Broadway treatment.
What is Schmigadoon! ?
For those of you who aren’t into musical theater or niche shows on Apple TV, you might be confused by the title Schmigadoon! I know it sounds nonsensical, but so is the entirety of the show.
The plot of the TV show follows a couple, Melissa and Josh, who’ve reached a standstill in their relationship. To remedy their problems, they take a couples retreat in the woods, but accidentally go through a portal to a land where everything is a musical: Schmigadoon. They soon find out that they are trapped in this magical realm until they find true love.
I have a deep love for this show. For a musical lover like me, it’s a beautiful combination of all of my favorite musicals. The first season of the show covers the golden age of Broadway, like Carousel, Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, and so on. The second season delves into some of the darker musicals of the 60s and 70s, like Cabaret, Pippin, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, just to name a few.
This show is also packed with original songs written by Cinco Paul, who is also the lyricist and composer behind the songs in The Lorax (2012). Singing Paul’s intoxicating tunes is a star-studded cast of comedians and Broadway alumni.
Since the show is produced by Lorne Michaels, the showrunner of Saturday Night Live (SNL), there are many SNL stars taking on the roles of characters in the musical. This includes Cecily Strong, Keegan-Michael Key, and Fred Armisen, among others.
As for the Broadway alumni, we have Aaron Tveit, Kristen Chenoweth, Dove Cameron, and many others. This cast is part of what drew me into this show, but I ultimately stayed for its fun and whimsy.
Coming to Broadway
After the show was cancelled in May 2023, there had been whispers of a transfer to the stage. On Jan. 27, it was announced that the television show would be coming to Broadway on April 4.
With that announcement, the cast of characters came along with it. Most notable was Alex Brightman, who is a highly acclaimed Broadway actor starring in shows like Beetlejuice and School of Rock. The leading lady of the show is Sara Chase, known for being in the original Broadway cast of The Great Gatsby and The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Some notable members of the supporting cast are Ana Gasteyer, one of the many Elphabas of Wicked and a six-season SNL member, McKenzie Kurtz, who played Heather Chandler in Heathers and Glinda in Wicked, and Ann Harada, who is reprising her role from the original series.
The show will have all the same songs that we love from the TV show. For other Broadway fans, you might recognize the director of the show, Christopher Gattelli, who directed very popular Broadway shows like Death Becomes Her and Newsies.
You can expect me to be impatiently waiting until April 4 to hear about how the show is performing. Musicals based on other forms of media can be hit or miss, but I have a pretty good feeling about this one. Only time will tell about our stint trapped in Schmigadoon.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest!