Reviewers are sounding off on the world premiere stage version of Apple TV's Schmigadoon!, which began performances January 31 at the Eisenhower Theater at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center. Series choreographer Christopher Gattelli is directing and choreographing the new show, which features a book, music, and lyrics by series creator Cinco Paul. See what critics are saying below.
Performances continue through February 9.
The cast is led by Alex Brightman (Beetlejuice) as Josh Skinner and Sara Chase (The Great Gatsby) as Melissa Gimble, with Kevin Del Aguila (Some Like It Hot) as Reverend Layton, McKenzie Kurtz (Wicked) as Betsy McDonough, Isabelle McCalla (Water for Elephants) as Emma Tate, Javier Muñoz (Hamilton) as Doc Lopez, Brad Oscar (Something Rotten!) as Mayor Menlove, Emily Skinner (Suffs) as Mildred Layton, and Ryan Vasquez (The Notebook) as Danny Bailey. Ann Harada is reprising her performance from the series as Florence Menlove.
The company also includes Ayaan Diop as Carson Tate, Phillip Attmore as Freddy, Brandon Block as Buford Riggs, Holly Ann Butler as Helen Pritt, Max Clayton as Larry the Fireman, Kimberly Immanuel as Zaneeta, Eloise Kropp as Nancy, Jess LeProtto as Pete, Nathan Lucrezio as Farmer McDonough, Lauralyn McClelland as Ruth O’Reilly, Shina Ann Morris as Norma Nelson, Angel Reda as the Countess Gabrielle Von Blerkom, and Richard Riaz Yoder as Harvey the Innkeeper. Casting is by The Telsey Office.
READ: Is Schmigadoon! Destined to Become a Stage Musical Trilogy?
Read the reviews below.
New York Magazine/Vulture (Rhoda Feng)*
The New York Times (Jesse Green)*
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Playbill will continue to update this list as reviews come in.
The musical follows the plot of the show's first season, which follows real-world couple Josh and Melissa as they find themselves in Schmigadoon, a mysterious and magical world populated with characters, plots, songs, and dance numbers plucked from Golden Age musicals like Oklahoma!, The Music Man, Carousel, and more. Paul's adaptation includes all of the songs from the series' Grammy-nominated score plus some new titles, including both songs cut from the series and new songs.
David Chase is serving as music supervisor, with orchestrations by Doug Besterman and Mike Morris and music direction by Steven Malone. The production also features scenic design by Scott Pask, lighting design by Jen Schriever, costume design by Linda Cho, wig design by Tom Watson, and sound design by Haley Parcher. Matt Lacey is the production stage manager.
The Kennedy Center is presenting by special arrangement with Lorne Michaels' Broadway Video, which produced the series, and No Guarantees Productions. Schmigadoon! is offered as part of the venue's Broadway Center Stage series, programmed by Artistic Director and Executive Producer Jeffrey Finn.
Schmigadoon! premiered on Apple TV+ in 2021, with a second season in 2023 that sent its characters to Schmicago, complete with parodies of '70s musicals like Pippin, Godspell, and Sweeney Todd. Read Playbill's exhaustive recaps of all first and second season episodes for a deep dive into the series' many musical theatre Easter eggs, references, and parodies.
Tickets are available at Kennedy-Center.org.