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Young Frankenstein the Naked Gun the Collected Works of Weird Al, the Colbert Report this is Spinal Tap, the Onion, the Drowsy Chaperone, the Book of Mormon. These are proper parodies that not only lampoon the ridiculousness of their targets, but also stand as hilarious comedic masterpieces on their own. Unfortunately, Broadway's latest attempt at self referential parody doesn't live up to these predecessors. Last week, Schmigadoo, now playing at the Nederlander Theatre, tied with the Lost Boys to lead all shows this season with 12 Tony nominations. Despite this fact, and while I might be in the minority, while the production was top notch with a dazzling cast of Broadway favorites, the show itself left me cold and exceedingly underwhelmed. Welcome to Broadway Radio. My name is Matt Tamnini. Today I will be reviewing the original Broadway production of Schmigadoon. It is appropriate that Schmigadoon, both on stage and screen, were produced by Lorne Michaels because the show feels like a fairly funny three to four minute Saturday Night Live sketch stretched into a two and a half hour musical. Schmigadoon originated as a TV series on Apple tv, now simply Apple TV and ran for two seasons, both of which were written, script, music and lyrics by Cinco Paul, who has adapted his work for the stage. The show follows Josh and Melissa, played deliciously by Alex Brightman and Sarah Chase respectively, whose relationship has been struggling as of late. So they decide to go on a couple's retreat and end up getting lost in the woods. That is, until they stumble across a magical town that seems to be stuck in a Golden Age musical. After figuring out that they did not accidentally find themselves in a very niche tourist trap, the pair learns that the only way to leave Shmigadoon is to cross the bridge with their true love. The only problem is that when they try to leave together, they are funneled back to the Schmigadoon side of the bridge. The concept obviously borrowed liberally from Lerner and Loewsburg. Dune allows for the introduction of a wide range of characters inspired by and in some cases lifted wholesale from other beloved titles from across the mid century musical theater canon. You've got Ana Gasteyer who is nominated for a Tony this year as an even more evil version of Mrs. Yoleli McKechnie Shinn Max Clayton as an almost completely defanged stand in for Billy Bigelow, Mackenzie Kurtz as an over the top 800 Annie analog and Isabel McCullough as an amalgamation of Marian the Librarian and Mary Poppins, with Brad Oskar and Anne Harada as the appropriately named first couple of Schmigadoon, there is likely no more appealing cast on Broadway this season. Collectively, they dive into this technicolor world of Schmigadoon with aplomb, but there are just so many characters all ported in from the six episode first season that very few get an opportunity to shine, let alone show anything even approaching a character arc. Save for our real world couple of Brightman and Chase. While it obviously makes sense in the context of the story, it does seem like a wasted opportunity for Alex Brightman to barely sing and purposely not especially well as a big, brightly colored musical, but his Josh is far more resistant to the charms and musical references of Schmigadoon. However, in exchange we are treated to a dizzying array of exacerbated reactions, asides and quips from one of the funniest men on Broadway. Alternately, Chase's Melissa is not only a musical theater fan but an expert, allowing her to help navigate the well trod storylines unfolding before them. In a world populated with increasingly cartoonish characters, Chase is the heart of the production, tasked with giving the only fully realized three dimensional performance in the show. The result is a Tony nomination and what should be a star making turn in one of the season's most delightful lead performances. Similarly, McCullough as the strict schoolmarm Emma Tate is a refreshing breath of fresh air in what can otherwise become a somewhat stilted affair, just as Ariana DeBose did when she originated the role on TV. McCullough brings a much needed injection of charm and connection that serves as a shot in the arm to a production that otherwise begins to feel a bit to one note. While I understand that paring down the storylines of six TV episodes into one cohesive musical is challenging, the best version of this show features McCullough's tape in more than just part of the second act. As for the rest of the cast, it is no surprise that they are all game and up for the challenges that director and choreographer Christopher Gattelli throws at them. However, while nearly everyone else is giving relatively grounded performances, at least in the concept of this show, Mackenzie Kurtz is seemingly in a completely different version of Schmigadoon all on her own. Her Betsy is drawn overly broad, with line readings and facial expressions that feel more appropriate for a British panto or even a Disney Channel original than a big budget Tony nominated Broadway musical. While I have loved Kurtz in previous productions, here she is giving a 17 while everyone else is at a 7, with the exception of Gastai, who appropriately cranks up her villain energy to at least a nine. Nonetheless, the cast is uniformly wonderful, including the perfect ensemble of triple threats expertly nailing Gattelli's throwback choreography. However, despite the great performances in gorgeous scenic and costume design from Scott Pask and Linda Cho respectively, I really struggled with this show. The point of parody is not to simply turn out C versions of greater works, but to poke fun at or shine a new light on or whatever is being referenced. Despite the fact that the golden age of musical theater, now with 60, 80 years of perspective, is ripe for mockery, Schmigadoon does nearly none of that, with the exception of Brightman's asides, a perfectly placed dream ballet and an unfortunately missed opportunity that is the song not that Kinda Gal. Otherwise, while beautiful to look at and full of thrilling performances, Schmigadoon is not especially funny on its own and does nothing to add to or comment on the now hackneyed tropes of musical theater's bygone era. As sacrilegious as this might sound, the show feels like someone fed the complete works of Lerner and Lowe, Meredith Wilson and Rodgers and Hammerstein into ChatGPT. And this is what came out a copy of a copy of a copy lacking the inherent charm and quality that made the originals endlessly enduring and failing to rise to the level of parody and even really spoof by bringing something original or additive to the table. That being said, the entire audience at the Nederlander Theater seemed to love the performance that I was at, and if you've seen it, I hope you felt the same way as everyone else sitting around me did, but for me, there was just no there there. We have seen far more successful theatrical parodies, spoofs and satires over the years, from Forbidden Broadway to Spamalot, from Something Rotten to the Musical of the musical. If there is going to be a send up of musical theater classics, it should have something to say about its reference beyond simply copying them just enough to skirt copyright laws. Have something to say about problematic leading men, racist stereotyping, cockeyed optimism, taming of independent women, Anything. Just have something to say aside from hey you like musicals? Aren't they silly? Taken on its face, Schmigadoon is a fun, vibrant old school take on musical theater, but it has the bones of and I think the intentions to be something far more interesting and vital. It is just never able to cross that bridge. Schmigadoon has extended on Broadway at the Nederlander Theater through January 3rd. I will have a link in the show notes to where you can purchase tickets to see the show. Thank you so much for supporting Broadway radio. If you want more Broadway radio, head over to patreon.com broadwayradio or broadwayradio.com patreon thanks again for listening. This has been Matt Tammanini and I'll talk to you soon.
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Everyone deserves to be connected. T Mobile and US Cellular are joining forces. Our networks are coming together bringing more T Mobile coverage all over the country. Switch to T Mobile and save up to 20% versus Verizon by getting built in benefits they leave out. Check the math@t mobile.com Switch and now T Mobile is available in a US cellular store near you. Bigger network the combination of T Mobile's and US Cellular's network footprints will enhance the T Mobile network's coverage savings versus comparable Verizon plans plus the costs of options, benefits, plan features and taxes and fees vary. Savings with three plus lines include third free line free via monthly bill credits credit stop if you cancel any lines. Qualifying credit required.