Review: SCHMIGADOON at Kennedy Center

During the pandemic, musical theatre lovers were hit with withdrawal. Apple TV took us out of our funk when Schmigadoon hit the air in July of 2021. The series took an original story line and based it around a specific genre of musical theatre. The result had us laughing and singing along for two seasons. The first season was more of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic variety of musical while season two had more of a Chicago/Pippin vibe. For whatever reason, the third season was written but Apple TV elected not to go into production with it.

Kennedy Center’s Broadway Center Stage latest entry is a World Premiere stage adaptation of Schmigadoon. It’s the first time the series has presented a new show. The production is basically the first season so think of it as a binge watch type of thing if you have not seen the TV show before.

Writer Cinco Paul (book, music, and lyrics) once again starts his story with Melissa and Josh (Sara Chase and Alex Brightman) having a chance encounter at their job. They are both doctors. The chance encounter involves some stuck candy in a machine which evolves into a night of mad passionate love. A few weeks later we find the now couple on a hike where they come across a bridge and a leprechaun. I think you can figure out where this is going.

The couple cross the bridge into the mythical town of Schmigadoon which Melissa mistakes for a theme park at first but loves the musical theatre motif. Josh hates musicals and refuses to sing while Melissa is eating the town up. When they try to check into the hotel, they are told they must have separate beds because they are not married. This rule of decency and others like it are set forth by a committee headed by Reverend Layton’s (Kevin Del Aguila) wife Mildred (Emily Skinner.)

We have many musical theatre type characters in Schmigadoon and many have a past to be sure. Mayor Menlove (Brad Oscar) has been keeping a secret from his wife Florence (Ann Harada) and the town for a long time. Our school Marm Emma Tate (Isabelle McCalla) isn’t who her brother Carson (Ayaan Drop) thinks he is either. We have the town doctor Doc Lopez (Javier Muñoz) who is involved with Countess Gabrielle Von Bleerkom (Angel Reda) after his wife passed and the town rapscallion Danny Bailey (Ryan Vasquez) who tries to win the heart of Melissa.

The TV series had impeccable casting from start to finish. The stage production does not necessarily have that going for it. Don’t get me wrong, everyone is really talented it’s just that in a few cases, at least for me, the stage casting was inferior to TV.

Sara Chase as Melissa is probably the one that falls into this category the most. As great of a singer as Chase is, I felt that her characterization did not carry the show the way Cecily Strong did in the series.

Alex Brightman’s performance of Josh I also found to be a little bit under in comparison to Keegan-Michael Key. I’m not sure if this is a directorial choice on the part of director/choreographer Christopher Gattelli or not but I almost felt as if Brightman’s larger than life personality was being stifled when it could have been used to great advantage.

Lastly, as much as I enjoyed Ryan Vasquez’s performance in last season’s The Notebook on Broadway, I did not find him convincing as the Billy Bigelowish Danny Bailey in the way that Aaron Tveit was in the series. I missed the swagger in his performance.

On the plus side of things, there are a bunch of performances that truly are standouts.

I would like to start with Emily Skinner’s knockout performance of Mildred Layton. Her Music Man type patter song “Tribulation” just reminds us why Skinner is indeed a musical theatre treasure.

For my next shout out, I want you all to promise me that you will remember the name Ayaan Drop. He is an eight year old performer with no stage credits. He has only worked in voice overs and film. Every time this kid hits the stage as Carson Tate you are held in the palm of his hand. At my performance he also got exit applause every single time. Welcome Ayaan Drop!!!

As the father will hold a gun to your head if you don’t marry his daughter Betsy McDonough, McKenzie Kurtz hits it out of the park with her showstopping feature “Not That Kinda Gal”.

Original TV cast member Ann Harada and Brad Oscar make an endearing couple as Mayor Menlove and his wife Florence respectively while Kevin Del Aguilla as Reverend Layton rightfully takes the “yes dear” approach with Emily Skinner as his wife Mildred. Trust me, he has the right idea.

Angel Reda delivers a loving tribute to Cole Porter’s “Always True to You in My Fashion” with her “I Always Always Never Get My Man”. 

Isabelle McCalla as Emma Tate delivers another strong performance. Her duet "Suddenly with Javier Muñoz is a definite highlight.

The ensemble deliver such crowd pleasing songs as “Corn Puddin” and the show’s title song with lots of let’s put on a show energy.

When the TV series was being put together, there were many COVID-19 protocols in place. These restrictions became particularly challenging for the music department. Imagine having an orchestra of somewhere between 50 and 60 players and not being able to record everyone together. Luckily for us the stage production has a live orchestra made up of thirteen players and they are all in the same place upstage being conducted by Steven Malone. The orchestrations by Doug Besterman and Michael Morris sound bigger than that though. This is what happens when you hire orchestrators that know how to make a small ensemble sound like a symphony orchestra and a top notch musical supervisor like David Chase to head your music department.

The production elements take us back to a bygone era when musicals didn’t depend on projections and falling chandeliers to get the story across. Scott Pask’s sets are made up primarily of backdrops and actual set pieces. AHHH!!!

Linda Cho’s costumes are pleasingly reminiscent of the golden age of Broadway musicals.

Jen Schriever’s lighting design doesn’t rely on over the top effects as it helps to tell the story in an understated manner.

Christopher Gattelli’s choreography is truly remarkable based on the amount of time he had to put the show together. The production from first rehearsal was only three weeks. Let that sink in, a new musical created in that short of a time.

Despite my quibbles about some of the casting, I thoroughly recommend Schmigadoon to all lovers of musical theatre and theatre in general. With all that’s going on right now, it’s the perfect escape.

Running Time: Two Hours and 35 minutes with one intermission.

Schmigadoon runs through February 9th, 2025, in the EDisenhower Theater at Kennedy Center which is located at 2700 F St NW, Washington, DC.

Photo credit: The company of Kennedy Center's Broadway Center Stage World Premiere production of Schmigadoon. 

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