When you paid shut consideration to the musical references in Schmigadoon! Season 1’s ultimate quantity(Opens in a brand new tab), you knew precisely the place Apple TV’s theatrical comedy could be taking us subsequent.
Whereas the primary season instantly parodied Golden Age musicals like Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music, the present’s huge nearer “How We Change” drew on the sound of later Broadway composers. With that musical evolution, Schmigadoon! makes the leap into its second season — and a brand new, darker period of musicals, from the likes of Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Bob Fosse, Gerome Ragni, James Rado, and extra.
The unique songs in ‘Schmigadoon!’ completely seize the enjoyment of musicals
Schmigadoon! will get a complete new world to play in in Season 2.
Tituss Burgess in “Schmigadoon!”
Credit score: Apple TV+
Schmigadoon! Season 2 picks up a number of years after the tip of Season 1. Melissa (Cecily Robust) and Josh (Keegan-Michael Key) have settled into married life, however they cannot shake the sensation that they need to be a lot, a lot happier. A return journey to Schmigadoon looks like simply the answer they should get a contented ending. In spite of everything, what might be higher than a joyful music and dance quantity carried out by an ensemble of Broadway greats?
Nevertheless, when the 2 stumble again into the musical world, they’re in for a impolite awakening. Gone are the rolling hillsides and quaint homes of Schmigadoon. They have been changed by the seedy nightclubs and corrupt courtrooms of the town of Schmicago, the place the musicals of the ’60s and ’70s come to life.
It is a main stylistic twist, nevertheless it’s simply the suitable excessive kick within the pants Schmigadoon! wants to stay contemporary and enjoyable. Darker, grittier exhibits like Sweeney Todd, Cabaret, and, in fact, Chicago all get their shining second within the highlight. Not like in Season 1, musical-loving Melissa is much less accustomed to these references, preferring her exhibits gentle and enjoyable. This departure from Schmigadoon!‘s preliminary components gives a welcome alternative for Melissa and Josh to naively wreak naive all through Schmicago.
Kristen Chenoweth in “Schmigadoon!”
Credit score: Apple TV+
Whereas the town of Schmicago is a wildly completely different setting from the village of Schmigadoon, virtually all of the city’s inhabitants are acquainted faces from Season 1. Though right here, they’re taking part in solely completely different characters.
Kristin Chenoweth is an orphan-hating cross between Annie‘s Miss Hannigan and Sweeney Todd‘s Mrs. Lovett, whereas Alan Cumming performs a cleaver-wielding butcher with similarities to a sure razor-wielding barber. Schmigadoon! pays tribute to Cabaret via Dove Cameron’s fast-talking, chair-dancing Jenny Banks, and Ariana DeBose’s tackle the enduring Emcee. Elsewhere, Aaron Tveit leads a tribe of parable loving-hippies pulled straight from Hair with a pointy sprint of Jesus Christ Famous person, and Jane Krakowski will get many probabilities to razzle dazzle us as a gender-swapped Billy Flynn from Chicago. When Josh framed for homicide, she often is the solely one that can save him from the electrical chair.
Schmigadoon! additionally provides two great new visitor stars to its already phenomenal solid. First up is the always-hilarious Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)(Opens in a brand new tab) as Schmicago’s resident narrator. He welcomes us to the story with open arms, channeling Pippin‘s Main Participant, however rapidly turns into exasperated by Melissa and Josh’s fixed questioning. Any time these three bicker, you recognize you are in for a pleasant time.
Then, there’s Patrick Web page because the villainous Octavius Kratt, whose sharp fits and industrial ventures can not help however bring to mind Web page’s flip as Hades in 2019’s Hadestown. (I do know Schmigadoon! is not in our present musical period but, however the likeness is startling.) Web page brings his signature deeper-than-deep voice to this menacing function, giving us this season’s most chilling antagonist.
Schmigadoon!‘s musical numbers and Easter eggs are highlights of Season 2.
Dove Cameron in “Schmigadoon!”
Credit score: Apple TV+
As somebody who prefers ’60s and ’70s musicals to these of the Golden Age, I admit that I am biased once I say that I loved Season 2’s musical numbers much more than Season 1’s. The songs do not are typically overly satirical — aside from one quantity that might have been surprising by ’60s requirements however which earns a really well mannered “oh, cool” from Josh and Melissa. So you will often end up wishing the parody amounted to extra. Nonetheless, you get Cumming and Chenoweth doing Sweeney Todd; Robust, Cameron, and DeBose doing Cabaret; and Krakowski doing a stunning mash-up of Chicago and Firm. Discuss in regards to the biggest Broadway fanfiction ever! Add choreography and staging that pays glorious comedic tribute to the unique, and you have got a number of standout numbers in your palms.
The tributes do not cease on the musical numbers. Dialogue calls to thoughts iconic music lyrics or questions musical mores of yore. Storefronts and avenue indicators are plagued by references to famed composers of the period, whereas the costumes, in all their lingerie and bowler hat-wearing glory, instantly clue you into what present Schmigadoon! is referencing.
Schmigadoon! might threat being nothing however a string of parodies one after the opposite. However this season is held collectively by a candy storyline about working in the direction of happiness — not only for Josh and Melissa, however for everybody within the metropolis, too. Certain, as an ethical it is a tad simplistic, and 6 episodes do not give Schmigadoon! an excessive amount of time to actually delve into every of its characters’ lives. Nevertheless, that does not cease Schmigadoon!‘s journey via the ’60s and ’70s from being an entire blast. I imply, if you’ve bought a solid this implausible and songs this pleasant, is it actually doable to go mistaken?
The primary two episodes of Schmigadoon! hit AppleTV+ Apr. 5, with new episodes streaming weekly on Fridays.(Opens in a brand new tab)
