Fresh Air – ‘Schmigadoon!’ Co-Creator Cinco Paul Satirizes Broadway

Podcast: Fresh Air (NPR)
Date: April 24, 2026
Host: Terry Gross
Guest: Cinco Paul (Co-creator of “Schmigadoon!”)

Overview

This episode features a lively and affectionate discussion between Terry Gross and Cinco Paul, co-creator and songwriter behind the show “Schmigadoon!” — a musical that both satirizes and celebrates classic mid-century Broadway. With “Schmigadoon!”’s recent successful transition from Apple TV series to Broadway, Paul reflects on the show's inspiration, musical satire, and his own lifelong love affair with Broadway and movie musicals. The interview, a reprise from 2021, explores Paul’s creative process, influences, and stories from his career in musicals, screenwriting, and beyond.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Inspiration for Schmigadoon!

• Origin Story (08:19)
  • Paul was inspired 25 years ago by watching An American Werewolf in London, drawing parallels to Brigadoon.
  • “What if these two modern guys, instead of stumbling on a town that has a werewolf, stumbled on a town that was in a musical?” (Cinco Paul, 08:23)
  • The concept crystalized when he changed the leads to a couple, allowing for romance and exploration of “what does love mean?”

2. Creating Satirical yet Loving Parodies of Broadway

• Josh vs. Melissa—Musical Lovers & Skeptics (09:28)

  • The dynamic mirrors Paul’s own life: “In many ways, that was Ken [Daurio, co-writer], and in many ways, it’s my wife… he would say, ‘Skip!’ whenever musical theater came on.” (Paul, 10:00)
  • The show balances the perspectives of musical devotees and skeptics for comedic and thematic depth.

• “Corn Puddin” and Song Parodies (10:39–12:17)

  • Created to poke fun at “corny musical numbers” like “This Was a Real Nice Clambake.”
  • “It brings everything to a grinding halt... And so that’s what Corum Puddin is. It’s an ode to those songs. But the fun thing is… in our show, it does move the story forward.” (Paul, 11:08)
  • Key Scene: The “Corn Puddin” number (12:30–13:44) exemplifies the show’s blend of parody and narrative progress.

3. Addressing Queerness in Classic Musicals

• Closeted Characters and Songwriting (13:57–19:46)
  • Discusses crafting satirical songs about closeted gay characters (e.g., “He’s a Queer One, That Man of Mine”), drawing from musical tropes.
  • “She has no clue that her husband is gay, but everything that is evidence that he's gay, she sees as a really positive quality… also really, in many ways, the mayor’s story is at the heart of the show…” (Paul, 15:41)
  • Song excerpt (17:28–19:46): “He’s a queer one, that man o’ mine” performed by Anne Harada, noted for its humor and melody.

4. Cinco Paul’s Life in Music & Musicals

• Musical Upbringing & Early Influences (22:15–24:03)

  • Childhood exposure to Broadway cast albums, especially Camelot, South Pacific, and Guys and Dolls.
  • “I was a weird kid, you know, singing I Wonder what the King is doing tonight in my room, memorizing the lyrics.” (Paul, 22:42)
  • First live experience: played piano in his high school’s “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” which cemented his bond with theater kids.

• Career Trajectory (24:09–27:23)

  • Initially aspired to be a pop songwriter in the vein of Elvis Costello.
  • Shifted focus to screenwriting when faced with practical life decisions (e.g., starting a family).
  • “I always felt very safe in academic settings… I got into USC, and that kind of changed everything and got me on the screenwriting track.” (Paul, 26:39)

• Musicals in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (27:23–29:09)

  • Early work: Wrote a musical for the 150th anniversary of the church—its comedic, “fish-out-of-water” premise foreshadowed his later work.
  • The show led to meeting Ken Daurio, his writing partner.

5. Writing Process & Pitching with Music

• Musical Pitch Sessions (30:43–31:39)
  • Paul and Daurio would often include a sung number in their Hollywood pitches for animated films.
  • “I would generally sing to Ken, and Ken would play the person being very uncomfortable with being sung to…” (Paul, 31:39)
  • This improvisational style seeded the comedic tone later seen in Schmigadoon!.

6. Animated Film Success: Despicable Me & Minions

• Origins & Development (32:43–34:56)
  • The main idea (a villain adopts three girls) came from animator Sergio Pablos; Paul and Daurio fleshed out the story and created iconic characters like the Minions.
  • The look and voices of the Minions attributed to director Pierre Coffin.
  • “We don’t see any of that money [from merch] in animation.” (Paul, 35:35)
  • On Residuals: “You’re not protected by the Writer’s Guild… there’s a lot of money that Ken and I could have gotten from these movies that we have not…” (Paul, 36:02)

7. Broader Film and Comedy Influences

• Musical Comedians & the Marx Brothers (37:13–39:14)

  • Paul’s taste for vaudeville and Tin Pan Alley music stemmed from early exposure to Marx Brothers films.
  • “From the time I was a weird little kid… to be a 10 or 11 year old obsessed with that sort of music was very odd. But I just, I loved it from an early age.” (Paul, 39:14)

• Podcast Theme Song (38:26–39:06)

  • Paul and Daurio produced a playful, vaudeville-style theme for their own podcast Make Him Watch It.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the Idea for Schmigadoon:
  "It opens with two friends hiking through the wilderness, and they're hiking over the countryside. And I suddenly thought, wow, the opening to this is very much like the opening to Brigadoon. And then I thought, what if these two modern guys, instead of stumbling on a town that has a werewolf, stumbled on a town that was in a musical?"
  — Cinco Paul (08:19–08:31)

• On Songwriting Satire:
  “What would be the worst possible song to subject him to? You know, and it's just, oh, a song just about food and corn pudding Sudden came to me as just kind of the perfect representation of these sort of songs. Like the ‘It's a Real Nice Clam Bake’. Like, who cares?”
  — Cinco Paul (11:08–11:31)

• On Closeted Gay Characters in Musicals:
  “The mayor’s story is at the heart of the show because he is one of the characters that back in the day could only be queer coded…”
  — Cinco Paul (15:41–15:57)

• On Being a Teenage Broadway Fan:
  “I was a weird kid, you know, singing I Wonder what the King is doing tonight in my room, memorizing the lyrics.”
  — Cinco Paul (22:42)

• On Residuals & Writers Guild:
  “We don’t get residuals from the movies in animation. It's kind of a pet peeve of mine, and I feel like it's unfair and not right, because it takes as much work to write an animated movie. It takes more, actually, than to write a live action movie.”
  — Cinco Paul (35:41–36:02)

• On His Podcast Theme:
  “I wrote the song.”
  — Cinco Paul, about the ‘Make Him Watch It’ podcast jingle (38:28)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [08:19] Origin story of Schmigadoon!
• [10:39–12:17] Writing & discussing “Corn Puddin’”
• [13:57–19:46] Parody, queerness, writing “He’s a Queer One, That Man of Mine”
• [22:22–24:03] Early love of musicals, first piano gig in high school musicals
• [24:09–27:23] Pop music ambitions, career path shift to film
• [27:23–29:09] Church musical, meeting Ken Daurio
• [31:39] Pitching with musical numbers
• [32:43–36:02] Developing Despicable Me, Minions, and writing credits
• [37:13–39:14] Marx Brothers, musical comedy influence
• [38:26–39:06] “Make Him Watch It” podcast theme

Tone and Language

The conversation is witty and warm, full of musical references, Broadway inside jokes, and affectionate satire. Cinco Paul’s genuine enthusiasm for classic musical theater, as well as his playful comedic style, come through, matched by Terry Gross’s curiosity and humor.

Summary Conclusion

For musical fans or anyone interested in how satire and love for a genre can coexist, this episode offers an insightful behind-the-scenes look at Schmigadoon! and its creative mind. Cinco Paul is revealed as a lifelong musical aficionado with deep affection for both the highs and comic lows of Broadway’s golden age—now lovingly lampooned and celebrated on stage and screen.