Hi, I am Jane Krakowski, and I am here talking with Playbill about Schmigadoon!
on Apple TV+.
Schmigadoon?
Welcome to our little town where friends are all you meet.
something they do for tourists.
Hey, everyone. Hey. there Pete!
Well, I fell in love with Schmigadoon, the minute I read it, and even more
so when I met Cinco Paul, he has such a love of musicals
and I love how he made a parody, but a loving parody of musicals
also with such a modern sense of humor and sensibility.
And so really, I mean, to be honest, I was the show's target
demographic to watch it.
And then I was even more thrilled
to be a part of the project to get to be in it. Hi Roberto!
How are you, Kristin?
I am so good. And just to hear the word Playbill, look how excited am.
So you are no stranger to the world of musicals.
What has it been like to be in a show that is such a love letter
to musical theatre and movie musicals?
Thank you for putting it that way.
I read the script, Roberto and I
laughed my ass off, but I also cried.
So I knew at that at that, you know, with with with all of these things that we do
musical theater, especially when we're made fun of, it's
because it's done poorly.
When it's applauded, it's because it's seamless.
I trust it. Sonnenfeld I've worked with him so many times.
I know most of the cast very well. We're all buddies
over the years, especially Alan Cumming, Dove Cameron and I.
But to watch Cecily and Keegan, who
wouldn't necessarily say, hey, we grew up in musical theater.
I loved that. I loved Keegan's character because my brother is Keegan.
Mark Chenoweth doesn't like musicals me.
So I mean, he loves me.
But you know "pearl clutch". What do you mean?
And then Cecily who loves musicals get trapped in one gets trapped.
I just love the concept.
So I was in pretty quickly.
I mean, it's been a practically perfect experience in every way.
I mean, it's such a it's glorious.
You know, my little musical theater nerd heart is exploding,
you know, and we get to reference some of my favorite musicals.
These characters, they make fun of themselves, but they
they also like have these different
just like little little bits and pieces of characters
that we already know and love, but they're so specifically themselves.
And to play in the sandbox with with this incredible cast
who are all functioning
at the top of their game, no matter what part of the industry they come from.
It's it's a joy, because I think it's actually a well-written love
letter to musical theatre and Broadway musicals.
It's it's a it's a privilege. It's an honor. It's a gift.
I mean, you know, you do some projects and you work on some projects
and other projects
that they land from the heavens and that that's Schmigadoon! from me.
I just I just love this show. I fell in love with the scripts.
I fell in love with the set. I mean, we shot during COVID.
So there were a lot of challenges. Right.
But but even with that, it was such a beautiful experience was
it was such a joy to be a part of such a beautiful musical, magical show.
It's a given. And people need to understand that
they don't need to be theater geeks to like the show.
As a matter of fact, Keegan Michael makes fun
of all the musical comedy tropes, and it's hilarious how it was
you see coming from everywhere where no, no, please sing again.
And I love that about the show. Right.
But but I think it's it's a love letter to musicals, as you were saying.
And I think that people are hopefully they're going to enjoy it.
Doc Lopez along along with Ariana DeBose's
character, because, you know, we represent, Emma Tate and Doc Lopez,
we represent the love triangle or the possibility of love.
Throughout the show, we see all these references to musical theatre.
So have you had a favorite reference to a musical in the show?
I mean, for me, so many, because I think the show lives on many levels.
If you are a musical theater fan, as I think the Playbill audience will be,
they will get all of the references you are mentioning and so many more.
And that is the eye that I watch it with.
I think if you even hate musicals, you will side with the character
that Keegan plays and you will wish that you were
getting out of the musical as quickly as you could.
My favorite and I think it's because it's the most humorous, is
when Melissa teaches how babies are born through the song from The Sound of Music.
You may not know this, but I have had the great pleasure
of being part of the project from the very first reading.
And so I feel like
I went through the path with Cinco and Cecily and Broadway video
and all of the genius people that were a part of making the show.
And that song was not in it originally.
And so as the readings went on
and I was a part of it, I fell more and more in love with it.
And then that song took me by surprise when I watched the the
all of the episodes in an advanced screening.
And I was like, wait, what?
Actually, I did hear it at the very last readthrough before we started filming.
And I was like, OK, you've raised the bar.
You took me to a whole new place I didn't expect Schmigadoon!
to take me to and I think that is still my my favorite song for
for its humor and shock value and very, very clever, clever
way of working that storyline into a musical song.
It's so difficult to pick
because there's nine musicals represented and it's more of a character, if I may.
It's not necessarily a line, but it's the little boy
from from what would be Music Man.
Every time he's spoke for me, it was the connector.
I don't know what it was about his performance or just that
he just appeared throughout it gave us permission.
Does that even make sense?
And to see him practicing over in the corner with his mask
on wanting to be perfect?
I just I fell in love with him.
And for me, he was I mean, we have we have all these wackiness, right.
And then we have the heart of it love story.
And then we have people being funny and making you cry.
But that kid for me, I don't know what it was.
I don't know. I can't explain it. It's just him.
I really there's that duet with Cecily and Aaron.
And it's it's very "Steam Heat" at times.
So it's like a lovely like, OK, I see what you did there.
And the performance of it is fabulous.
I love the two of them together. Es que there are so many Roberto.
There's so many reference
to a lot of reference with Oklahoma, as you know, with the opening number
and stuff like that. But but I'm it's just
with all the reference you have
and all the homenaje, the homage to that to the musical comedy.
It's a pretty unique show.
It has its own universe.
And I love that about about about Schmigadoon!
So before I let you go, we're going to play a quick game called
That's Not My Name!
So the name of the show, Schmigadoon! is a
take on Lerner and Lowe's Brigadoon. Right.
So I'm going to give you names of musicals,
but I've changed them a little bit so you can guess them or you can pass them.
OK, OK. I'm terrible at this, but I can't wait. Here we go.
Nice Work If You Can Get It.
Get It.
Nice Work If You Can Get It.
Into the Woods.
Into the Woods
Well, I actually it's Beautiful.
thank you. Oh, my God.
And I even sing a whole song that is along in my personal
show, a long spoof of the Carole King musicals.
It's not Believe. Beautiful!
Oh, my gosh. Beautiful.
The Carole King musical.
South Pacific
Now, that's funny, South Specific. South Pacific.
Dear Evan Hansen
Dear Evan Hansen.
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
forever
On A Clear Day You Can See Forever
Cabaret
which I sometimes prefer.
But it's Cabaret.
That would be nice to have a glass of. But Cabaret.
Amazing. Kristin thank you so much.
Thank you for letting me win.
Oh, honey, you're welcome.
I long for the days for us to all be back together in person.
I can't wait for Broadway to open. I just got to say it to you.
And stay safe and be healthy. God bless you.
We're in a musical. OK?
Nobody gets killed in a musical except Oklahoma and Carousel and South Pacific.
Oh, hello, West Side Story.
That's all the musicals.