(upbeat dance music)
- Thanks for joining us once again for Broadway Profiles.
I'm Tamsen Fadal.
Schmigadoon, it's the new musical comedy
streaming on Apple TV+.
(bells ringing)
- [Keegan] Schmigadoon?
♪ Welcome to our little town ♪
♪ Where friends are all you'll meet ♪
- Must be something they do for tourists.
- Hey everyone!
- [Everyone] Hey there, Pete!
- [Cecily] Whoo! (claps)
- Can we go now?
- Already?
- [Keegan] What?
- [Cecily] We can't leave.
It's like magic.
We're in an actual musical.
- Please God, no.
- [Tamsel] It's a hilarious love letter to Broadway.
Schmigadoon features a cast of Broadway royalty.
And it stars two veterans of sketch comedy,
SNL's Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key.
Paul Wontorek is here with the story.
- (sings) Schmigadoon!
(laughter)
- So, what was it like in the middle of a pandemic to go
to Canada with Broadway's best and make a big musical?
I mean, it's basically what you did.
You went there and you got your Broadway fix, didn't you?
- Yes. Water in a desert.
The offer came at a really good time.
I was pretty, we've all been very sad, but I had a big loss.
I was in Palm Springs and Sonnenfeld called me
and said, "Do you want to go to Canada?"
Now, I knew about this from a year before,
they had done a reading and I was unavailable to do that.
And I said, "I can't go to Canada.
I'm too sad. I'm not going to go during a pandemic."
He said, "There's an 18-page song
and I'm going to do it in one take."
I said, "Okay, when's the flight?"
(laughter)
So,
(laughs)
that's how he got me.
We got there. We were promptly given cones,
like we'd been spayed or neutered,
and I was happy to wear the cone. No problem.
We wore masks. We got COVID tested every other day.
I was like, "Go for it, go for it."
Like, I didn't care.
I love this town.
Y'all know my great-great granddaddy founded Schmigadoon
when he came upon this beautiful tract of land
and said, "They'll never find us here."
People are saying, and I love this,
that they think I'm playing against type.
And of course I am, but usually I just, I'm a villain a lot
and you know this, but I usually look like this.
So, it was fun for Sonnenfeld to say
what I said, "I wanna, I like, I want a mole,
"I want the Mildred picked wig.
I want the joker lips."
Personally speaking, just in playing this character,
I loved being able to, to go there.
Okay, I'll do it.
(crowd cheers)
♪ It's time to vote ♪
♪ To vote ♪
♪ And vote for Layton ♪
♪ Vote for Layton ♪
♪ She is the only one who'll save our town from Satan ♪
♪ Save us now ♪
- [Kristin] It was such a challenge.
It was the last day.
It was my, my last day was "Tribulation"
and it was on Thanksgiving.
And all I did during quarantine was learn that song.
I'm going to do it live from now on,
because if people can do,
"Pardon me is anybody there because if anybody's there,
I'd like to thank you all for coming to the wedding."
Then I can do "Tribulation."
- [Paul] You know what I love about this show
and about what's happening right now in entertainment
is that there's so many opportunities
for people with Broadway talent.
Now, you're able to co-star with so many people
that you see on Broadway first, right?
- All my buddies, all my buddies,
you gotta do Schmigadoon with people who can do it
and do it quickly.
But I'm talking about the casting.
I'm talking about Alan Cumming.
I'm talking about Ariana DeBose.
I'm talking about Jane.
And nevermind the heart of our show,
which is Cecily and Keegan.
- [Paul] Right.
- Otherwise our,
the wackiness wouldn't have been able to exist.
But they were so wise and Barry Sonnenfeld was so wise
in his casting.
I'm not just talking about, I'm not saying me.
I'm saying the entire deal.
We did this during a pandemic.
And you know how much rehearsal was required
and we did not get that much rehearsal, Paul.
- Look, I know that you're proud of
creating Glinda in Wicked.
I know you're proud of your Tony Award.
I know you're proud of your Emmy, everything you've done.
But I feel like what probably makes you most proud
is just how tied you are to Broadway.
I mean, you are the Broadway cheerleader
and whenever people see you, they think of Broadway,
they think of our industry,
they think of the amazing personalities
that come from our industry.
That must mean a lot to this Oklahoma girl, doesn't it?
- Like you're making me cry right now.
I miss Broadway so much.
I mean, you know I work in a lot of different areas, Paul,
but the relationship between an audience and an artist
or a character
is the best relationship I,
maybe that's for therapy,
but that's the best relationship that I have.
Whether I'm on stage or whether I'm in the audience.
It, I mean, when it opens back up,
my boyfriend and I are going to go to see everything.
I need it like water in a desert.
And the reason I love Schmigadoon! is because
there's a character in there just like my brother,
Mark Chenoweth, Keegan's character hates musicals.
And to see him start to change and love it
because he can't help himself!
I just love that aspect of the show too.
(upbeat music)