‘Schmigadoon!’ co-creator Cinco Paul satirizes Broadway

Fresh Air

NPR

Tv & Film, Arts, Society & Culture, Books

4.3 • 36.1K Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2026

⏱️ 45 minutes

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Summary

‘Schmigadoon!’ is now on Broadway. Adapted from the Apple TV series that lovingly satirized musicals of the ‘40s and ‘50s, we’ll hear from the co-creator, co-writer and songwriter of the series, Cinco Paul, who also wrote the book and songs for the Broadway show. He spoke with Terry Gross in 2021.

Also, film critic Justin Chang reviews ‘Blue Heron.’

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Fresh Air. I'm TV critic David Bean Cooney.
0:16.5	Earlier this week, the musical Shmigadoon opened on Broadway to lots of applause and rave reviews.
0:23.4	The New York Times called it a blast, which it is. I saw it in previews last Friday and loved it.
0:29.4	It's also a blast from the past, a warm-hearted embrace and spoof of classic Broadway musicals,
0:36.2	from Oklahoma and the Sound of Music to Carousel and the
0:39.8	Music Man. The title Shmigadoon is a play on another musical classic, Brigadune, in which two tourists
0:46.6	stumble upon a magical village with its own eccentric inhabitants and rules. In Shmigadun, the tourists
0:53.5	are a loving couple, Josh and Melissa.
0:56.3	They're in love, but after a few years of living together, they're also in kind of a rut.
1:02.1	Shmigadun originated in 2021 as a six-part miniseries on Apple TV Plus, co-created by Sincopal and
1:09.6	Kandario. Sincolpal and Candario.
1:24.2	Sincolpal, who wrote the music, lyrics, and book for the Broadway version, has reshaped and condensed those six TV episodes into one night of theater, but has retained all the key songs, characters, and plot twists.
1:29.4	The original TV version began when the two doctors, Melissa and Josh,
1:36.1	met cute at a hospital vending machine, then jumped into bed. On Broadway, the vending machine turns into a bed, a clever transition that saves time and makes the same point only funnier.
1:43.0	Director and choreographer Christopher Gatelli also choreographed the TV version,
1:47.5	so everything I loved about the full ensemble staging of such infectiously giddy numbers as corn puddin has arrived on Broadway intact.
1:57.0	Corn Pudin, which sets the tone early in the show, is confident in the way at both echoes and winks at old musical conventions, and that confidence is well earned.
2:07.9	Corn Puddin won an Emmy for Paul that year for outstanding original music and lyrics.
2:13.6	On Broadway, Josh is played by Alex Brightman, a Tony nominee for his starring stage roles in Beetlejuice and School of Rock.
2:21.5	Melissa is played by Sarah Chase from TV's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
2:26.4	Their comic timing together is flawless, and the supporting cast features a lot of standouts.
2:33.2	The Apple TV Plus version of Shmigadoon was divided into
	...

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