SCHMIGADOON! Reviews — Page 4

I can’t really say much other than what has already been said.

It’s a perfectly fine send-up/pastiche that both feels right at home on stage and also feels a little out of place. The thing about Schmigadoon as a series is that it was like having tapas in musical form, and combining them all together in one bingeable meal starts off nice, but then your stomach gets full about midway through Act II, as they’ve blown through half-a-cast full of minor characters.

The set is precious and the choreography is insanely tight. Of If I wasn’t hellbent on CATS winning Choreo, I think Schmigadoon would be my second choice. Chase is doing great work, enough to squeak into the Tony race for sure. Kurtz and Gasteyer are both delightfully unhinged, with Gasteyer almost being too perfect as the matronly Ms. Layton. There is also a scenario where I could see Max Clayton sneaking into Featured Actor/Musical, but that’s a really blockbuster category - even though on that stage, he is doing the most and probably has the most impact on the audience that I saw it with.

Side Note: Alex Brightman (and his vocal cords) must be elated that he can still be a funny Broadway leading man in a show that has him singing only 1.5 songs in total. I think the only other performer in recent memory who was a musical lead with barely any singing was Tony Shalhoub in THE BAND’S VISIT. (I do wish his character was a bit more rounded since the constant befuddled annoyance got a bit tiresome after a while)

quizking101 said: "(I do wish his character was a bit more rounded since the constant befuddled annoyance got a bit tiresome after a while)"

This was a major sticking point for me in the television series, as well. It's really hard to embrace such a negative protagonist character in a show like this. (Season 2 remedied this really well, though!).

Updated On: 4/27/26 at 02:50 PM

I never watched the TV show and had a delightful blast at this. I really don’t think I have laughed this hard in a while. Clayton, Gasteyer, Kurtz and McCalla were the standouts for me but everyone is really excellent and appear to be having a ball which is half the fun.

This is such a great parody/satire which I need in large doses now so I will definitely be revisiting this one.

I was so looking forward to seeing it for I loved the Apple television series, but the production did not live up to my expectations. I didn’t expect it to be a carbon copy of the TV show. I thought there would be more original ideas and fresh material. Most of the actors in the television series were far superior to the stage actors. The main couple in the stage production had no charisma and came across as jaded. I had no reason to root for them. There is a lot of chatter about the female lead getting a tony nomination. I think in a more competitive year, her chances would be nil. She tended to go for the joke and faded in and out when she was not speaking. The biggest failure acting wise with the exception of Isabelle McCalla, is that the actors did not come from an honest place which is acting 101. I also felt a sense of actors coasting through the material. Max Clayton sang and danced well and the child actor was cute when I could understand him. I was disappointed that Ivan Hernandez was out for he would’ve added an eye candy factor.

bwayphreak234 said: "I caught Schmigadoon! tonight, and I was completely won over. The show is vibrant, colorful, and just pure FUN. I had a smile plastered on my face from beginning to end.

The cast is stacked with Broadway talent. Alex Brightman and Sarah Chase are both terrific, and the entire featured ensemble is firing on all cylinders. Special shoutout to Mackenzie Kurtz, who delivers what may be the funniest performance of the season.

Visually, the production is a treat. The lush, hand-painted drops and practical set pieces are a refreshing. And the best part? Not a single projection in sight!

Easily the most fun I’ve had on Broadway this season."

McKenzie Kurtz was 100% snubbed

I thought she was...fine. 'Glad Ana Gasteyer received a nomination for supporting, she definitely registered more.

Ptero2 said: "AC126748 said: "Am I the only person who didn't love McKenzie Kurtz in this? She's crazy talented, and she does what she's asked to do, but it's a pretty weak part. If she was eligible forHeathers, I'd say nominate her and she'd have my vote. But she didn't blow me away here."

I agree, I thought she was really overdoing it. I actually liked Isabella McCalla the most of the featured actresses, her act 2 number was phenomenal."

I saw McCalla's understudy, so I can't judge her performance, but Emma seems like a much stronger role than Betsy.

For the record, McKenzie Kurtz got a Drama Desk nomination for Outstanding Featured Performer in a Musical, but Ana Gasteyer did not. However, Gasteyer got a Tony nomination, and Kurtz didn't. ... Also, Max Clayton got a Drama Desk nomination AND an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Featured in a Musical, so it's surprising he didn't land a Tony nomination, too. Elsewhere, Andre deShields and Bryce Pinkham both weren't nominated by the Drama Desk or Outer Critics, but wound up with a Tony nomination. And so it goes ...

As they sing in ''South Pacific'': ''Who can explain it, who can tell you why? Fools give you reasons; wise men never try.''

Updated On: 5/7/26 at 11:47 PM

Kad, thanks for the correction on deShields.

Ultimately, when you have different nominators with different tastes, you wind up with different nominations. So the Outer Critics and Drama Desk nominated Sam Tutty from ''Two Strangers,'' but not his co-star, Christiani Pitts. And the Drama League nominated Pitts, but not Tutty. Etc., etc.

And then it's also complicated by the fact that the Outer Critics and Drama Desk acting nominations are non-gendered, which affects the number of slots and selection. For instance, all 5 of the Outer Critics nominees for Featured Performer in a Broadway Musical are men.

Updated On: 5/8/26 at 02:23 PM

I'm trying to ignore my gut feeling about this particular musical and currently looking for a single reason to see it, something convincing enough for me to spend money for a ticket. Especially since Schmigadoon got 12 Tony noms, right? So I've started to watch all available videos on YouTube and please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks it looks absolutely hideous and low key maga coded? The songs also seem to be not only generic, but vocals are very grating. It's like something that would be produced in the 50s for a very specific audience. I read about the storyline and fully understand the idea behind it. It's just those videos from GMA etc. don't do this show any favors. Too bad show score is no longer a proper source for majority authentic audience reviews, otherwise I would rely on it more.

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "I was charmed by most of act one but by the end of the act it loses steam and act 2 is basically a mess.

My main problem with the TV show remains: the songs aren’t good enough. The jokes lean obvious, and the melodies are too close to the originals to be interesting — it just makes you wish you were hearing the actual songs.

There are too many side plots that Cinco Paul has tried to shoehorn into a 2.5 hour musical. This feels desperate to be 95 minutes at most. They don’t each need *two* relationships; focus on either the gay mayor or the scheming Gasteyer character; don’t even bother to introduce the Baroness Schrader character; etc.

Tonally it felt like all the characters within the magical world needed to take the comedy up a notch. There’s not enough of a difference between Chase & Brightman and those characters. Max Clayton was fine but the role begged for someone with an edge.

I also never bought the Chase-Brightman relationship. He’s a dick, she’s a catch, who cares if she runs off with the hunky carnival barker or the boring doctor?

the best part of the show, McKenzie Kurtz, disappears in act two.

On the plus side, it looks great, the choreo is nice, and the orchestrations are essential to the score’s sound. But this is a meal of candy: it starts off fun and then by the end you’re sick yet still hungry."

Agree, the beginning of Act 1 was fantastic but as it went along the story did seem to drag. I think Alex Brightman is very unlikable in the role and lacks the charm and natural humor Kegan Michael Key had. He just comes across as a jerk. Sara Chase, I thought did a really good job and played the part well but lacked any chemistry with Brightman.

The only cast member that really stood out from their tv show counterpart was McKenzie Kurtz who I think stole the show and it’s a shame she wasn’t nominated for a Tony. She was the only one who I think elevated their character and truly made it their own. Ana Gasteyer was funny and don’t get me wrong I love her but her character did not have nearly enough stage time to warrant a Tony Nomination. If anyone from Schmigadoon was nominated it should have been McKenzie.

'The Today Show': Isabelle McCalla leads 'Schmigadoon!' cast in 'With All of My Heart'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gAflko2zek

Not really. You’re mentioning more of the opposites attract trope—where two people think they don’t even like each other at first but if you peel away the layers they actually have something the other person needs and they help each other grow.

They’re also the fantasy Schmigadoon is pulling apart on purpose. The show wants to say that those tropes are a fun fantasy but don’t work as real love.



Josh and Melissa, on the other hand, just felt like they’d been together a couple of years and he especially never really liked her or her interests and she just tolerated him and they both would have been better off just breaking up and finding someone they’d be happier with. I don’t feel the show ever gave me a reason to root for them.